Lunchtime fitness

Today I me and Dallas started lunchtime walks. I figured it is a good way to stay healthy and it will help with the delivery (24 days and counting). Our original plan was to walk from work to the outlet mall and back, but, thanks to Dallas (just kidding) that changed. We got to the corner of Bonneville and Grand Central Pkwy and decided to change the route to make it a little longer. We walked all the way from work to Jason's Deli (1.37 miles) then circled back around down Ogden to Main St back to work (.7 miles).
Adventures on our walk:::

• Dallas did lunges till she thought her butt would fall off
• Dallas got hit on/harassed by people walking and driving by us down Main Street (and no one you would want to get hit on by any means)
• I walked so much I thought I would have to duck behind a building to pee
• Watched a crazy man (doped up on who knows what) jamming out to the music in his head
• Some of metro's finest were doing what they do best in front of the buss station

I guess it wasn't that adventurous, but you are always sure to see something interesting going on between our work and Fremont street. Next week we are hoping to have a few additions to our walk. Hopefully Yelena and Kristi will join us (I promise we won't walk that same route unless we bring some sort of weapon to fend off what ever crazies we might see).

Who's your daddy?

Yesterday I took Kaitlin to Target to attempt to find the crib bedding (which everyone is sold out of now) and a small dresser or storage unit to put the baby clothes in. We walked up and down the baby section looking for the bedding, but all that was left was the crib sheet. I grabbed the sheet and threw it in the cart and decided to walk around the clothes and see if there was anything I just had to have (as if I don't already have too much baby clothes). I spotted a onesie that said "totally cuter then dad" and figured that I had to get that. I showed it to Kaitlin and asked her what she thought.

She said "I don't know mom, I think Dad is cuter." I gave her a funny look and asked her who she thought her baby brothers dad was. She replied "well its my Dad." Trying to hold back my laughter I told her that her Dad was not the babies dad. She asked who was the babies dad then and I told her it was Russ....then she said "but he isn't part of our family." I then explained to her that he is part of our family now. Luckily the conversation stopped there...what an awkward conversation to have with my child.

Cartwheels in the street

Today was one of the longest, most exhausting days of the new year...it was Kaitlin's first parade (and she had a blast). Her gymnastics school got to participate in the MLK jr parade and as soon as they sent Kaitiln home with the paper she was set on going to it. That also means the mommy has to go with her.
We started out by getting to Fremont street (rather the parking garage at Binion's) at 8am since that was the time the paper said to start setting up. I decided to park at the end of parade so we didn't have to walk all the way back when we were done (but that also meant we had to walk from the end all the way to the start). So we parked the car and set on our 1.3 mile walk to the staging area. It wasn't too cold outside, but it was shaded so it felt a little chilly. We decided that it would be a good idea to stop for hot coco to make the long walk a little warmer. It took us about 20 min to get to the staging are since we stopped for a drink but we finally made it. I was glad to be at the staging area cause I needed to sit and rest for a min, but that never happened. We went to the area that the paper said her group would be in, but they weren't there yet. I figured we were late (and therefore in we had to be in the wrong spot since the paper said to be there at 8 and it was now 8:30), so we walked and walked and walked some more looking for her group. We walked for about 15 mins before we finally found someone who was working the parade and asked where we were supposed to be. Of course they sent us back to where the paper said (the group was apparently just really late).

So we waited

The group finally got there about 15 mins later. We set up in the street and waited some more. We ended up waiting, and waiting and waiting. Wondering the whole time why they said to be there at 8 when it was now 10:30 and it didn't look like we were going to move anytime soon.

All this waiting made Kaitlin need to use the restroom. We were standing in the middle of 4th and Hoover and the only bathroom around was a port a potty. This was Kaitlin's first experience with the gross creation that was the only relief for the parade participants since the Kinko's that was on the corner of the street was closed for the parade. We walked down to the potty and stood in the forever long line (why they only thought to put only one potty in a staging are with hundreds of people was mind boggling). We made it inside and Kaitlin looked in the hole and said "that is just disgusting," then when she was finished she asked "now what am I supposed to do?" So used to flushing and washing her hands she had gotten confused. She finished up and we walked back only to realise that the condo development next to our area had opened up their nice big clean restrooms for public use.
By now it was almost 11 and it looked like we were going to get moving....finally. Kaitlin started getting nervous. They explained to the girls that they would walk for a little while then stop and do running cartwheels down the street (something she hasn't tried before). She kept saying "I can't do it" but I told her to at least give it a shot cause she might surprise herself. Sure enough she tried and did good. By the end of the parade she had almost perfected her running cartwheels.

The parade was long...especially since I'm only 25 days from popping out Kaitlin's little brother, but I'm glad we went. Kaitlin got a chance to do her first parade and she was the youngest gymnast that showed up. It gave her a chance to perform with the girls on the teams (which made her real happy). We finally finished around 1pm and made our way back to our car. Kaitlin crashed as soon as we got into the car and I crashed as soon as we got home. It was a long fun day and I'm real glad I could watch her in her first parade. I'm so proud of her.

One crazy weekend

Most of you have heard this story (except for the ending), but I figured I would write about it anyway (sorry if it's long). About 8 1/2 months ago (May 23-25th) we decided to take a trip to Lake Havasu with a bunch of Russ' friends. I was excited since I think at that point I had gotten myself to look pretty decent in a swim suit and Russ was excited because he just got finished painting the boat. He did a great job. Little did we know what a crazy weekend it would turn out to be.

It all started Friday May 23rd. I loaded Kaitlin in the car and headed to Barstow (like I did every other weekend) to take her to see her dad. I got there in good time even though my car struggled a little going over the Baker grade. The exchange went as usual and I headed off from Barstow to meet Russ and his friends in Lake Havasu. Russ and his friend CJ were towing the boat and were supposed to get to Havasu about the same time as me. I got about half way to Havasu and heard a "Pop" and my car suddenly started to slow down. "Great" I thought to myself "my tranny is going out again." We had just gotten my car back from having the tranny fixed and sure enough it broke again. Apparently the guy who fixed it didn't do such a great job. So I called Russ to see how far away he was just in case it completely went out and he had to rescue me (since it was pitch black outside, I was on a road I had never driven on before and all I can picture is me broke down on the side of the road and some psycho coming up and taking me). He assured me that he wasn't too far away and told me to keep going as long as I could. So I turned my hazard lights on and managed to cruise the rest of the way to the hotel in Havasu. I got to the hotel and coasted into a parking spot (cause by that time my car would not accelerate at all) and decided to wait there until Russ got there since he had the money to check into the hotel (and he wasn't too far behind....right??). Two hours later I was still waiting, but by this point I had made my way into the lobby and was chatting with a group of people that had just checked in. Finally my phone rang and it was him. Apparently he had gotten pulled over for doing 65 while pulling a trailer (Max speed while towing anything on that freeway is 55), he had spent a good 40 mins pulled over getting a ticket (great way to start off the weekend), then he missed the turn off for Havasu and had to go the back way. Well he finally got there and we met up with his friends and decided to go to the "Martini Bay" bar in the Lake Havasu resort. We had a good time until the bar started to close and his stupid friend CJ (who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut) got kicked out when they called last call and he just couldn't help but make stupid comments to the security guard. We decided that since he got kicked out we would leave too and go back to our rooms so we could get ready for the lake the next morning.

Day 2.....this morning started off okay despite the fact that we realized that Russ didn't pack any shorts or swim suit. So we ran to the walmart while everyone went to breakfast then met up with them back at the hotel. We loaded up the boats (his friends had their boats with them) on the trailer and headed to the lake. We backed the boats in the water and I was volunteered to drive one of the trailers back up and park it since we didn't have enough people to handle the boats and all the vehicles (mind you I have never driven with a trailer attached before and there was a mile long trail of cars waiting to unload their toys). So I pulled out of the dock fine, but when I went to turn into the parking lot (which was being blocked by the trail of cars waiting to unload) I cut the turn to short and hit the back of a boat with the trailer. I felt so bad I just wanted to go back to the hotel and sit in the room for the rest of the day. While I was waiting and getting the ticket Russ came up to check on me and make sure I was alright (he wasn't even mad that I got in a accident, just worried that I might have gotten hurt). After it was all done he convinced me (rather forced me) to get on the boat and try to enjoy the rest of our day. After a couple shots of Captain (okay...maybe 5 or 6) I forgot about the morning incident and ended up having a good time. We spent the day cruising the lake and playing horseshoes (I won). Then that night we decided to go to Kokomo's at the London Bridge Resort. Kokomo's is an outdoor club right on the lake front which was a good time. We weren't even there for 15 minutes before Russ' friend CJ got kicked out again (not sure what for that time). This time we all decided that we weren't going to suffer because he was stupid and we let him leave by himself and we stayed and had a good time. The club closed at 2 and we headed back to our room (thank goodness a little time to ourselves).

Day 3....the third day wasn't quite as exciting as the first two. Russ' friends woke up early and went to breakfast. We stayed in the room for a little while, then went to breakfast on our own. After we ate we checked out of the hotel and met up with everyone for our last day on the lake. At first we had trouble getting the boat started. We spent a good half hour trying to figure out what was wrong with it, and just when we thought we were going to have to call it a day it magically fixed itself. We cruised around for a little while and had fun til about 1:30 or 2. Then we headed back to the dock to get ready for the long drive home. I talked Russ into riding with me just in case there were anymore problems with my car. He let his friends take the boat back with them. So we were off to Barstow to pick up Kaitlin....luckily this time we made it there without to many problems. The tranny gave up a little trouble about half way to Barstow, but we made it there fine. We got there early and went to eat at sizzler. While we were eating we got a phone call from his friend (he had just gotten pulled over for the same thing Russ did). Great....so now everyone that drove this stupid white truck this weekend ended up leaving Lake Havasu with tickets. We finished up eating and got Kaitlin and started heading back to Vegas hoping the car wouldn't break down. Thank goodness we didn't have anymore real problems with it (just a little trouble going back over Baker grade). All the way home I was thinking..."could anything else have happened on this vacation???" 8 1/2 months later here we are.....

I got curious yesterday and did the conception calculator to see when our new addition was created... I guess one more thing did happen on that trip.

Girls....girls and more girls get together for a boy

Saturday afternoon was my baby shower. Russ thinks it's silly that a bunch of girls get together to talk, eat and play baby games (he mostly thinks the games are silly)...but we had a good time. Dallas and Kristi showed up to my place early to set up and that gave Kaitlin and Kadence a chance to play before the guests showed up.

Grandma and Teresa showed up

My Mom was there

Diane, Yelena, Lani and Kristi were there

Erica, Cindy, Susan, Julie, Carol, Aunt Chris and Becky, Kelly also showed up. We played silly games like "guess the candy bar in the diaper."

Some of the diaper looked like real baby poo, but they all smelled like brownies.

Everyone measured my belly with toilet paper. Turns out my belly is 11 1/2 squares around (which measure out to 45in OMG!!!!) . Kaitlin only guessed 8 squares (she must have been trying to suck up).

Carol brought a wonderful cake that her daughter made. It was a big hit with everyone.

After cake Kaitlin helped me open the gifts that everyone brought for our new little addition. I'm am lucky to have such great friends and family. I would like to thank everyone for making the day fun and memorable.

Kristi brought a gift that made all the girls who don't have kids think twice (Always and preparation H...so funny I love it)

Kaitlin even got a gift from her new little brother. She was so surprised....

Overall it was a great day and I thank everyone for being there. I did learn some new things about my friends though. I learned that Julie likes to dumpster dive :) and Cindy can cross stitch (which she was apparently doing at work around a bunch of cops so she could finish before the party). I also learned that next time I have a party I will wait to mop until after.

A childs way of thinking

Lately myself and Russ have been on the topic of what we are going to do with the kids when I go into labor. Our support system of friends and family is great, however none of them live close to us. Kaitlin has overheard us talking about this a couple of times and one day she decided to give her opinion.
"Mom, she says, why can't I be in the room with you when our baby comes? I promise I will stand in the corner and turn around when they cut your belly off and sew it back on."
Trying to hold back my laughter so I don't embarrass her I tell her that she doesn't have to worry because they aren't going to cut my belly off. I tell her that it's magic when the baby comes, but she is still insistent that they are going to have to cut my belly off because that's the only way for the baby to get out of my stomach. You got to love the way a childs mind works and the silly things they come up with. She still want's to be in the room, but I think it would be best for her to be in the waiting room until after.

Why kids are not allowed to have credit cards

My daughter usually hates to go shopping (which makes me wonder sometimes), but her dislike for the hobby gave me hope that when she grows up she would be one to save her money rather then go shopping and blow it on some stupid impulse buy that she just had to have. That hope has been slowly fading lately when I started realizing that it isn't the shopping she dislikes, but rather the leaving the house to do it.

Lately she has been paying real close attention to television infomercials that just happen to play during her favorite cartoons. I think this is intentional so they can kill 2 birds with one stone. They get the kids who are watching cartoons and see the cool new toy (moon sand, the blow pens or some other crazy pointless idea someone came up with while sitting in their parents basement) and they get the parents who are usually in the same vicinity as their children watching cartoons with the infomercials for cooking products (like the 3 in one pasta cooker/drainer) or something else that seems to make things more convenient that you really don't need.

Usually Kaitlin sees the commercial and jumps up saying "I want that." Now things have escalated to her bringing me my cell phone and telling me to call 1-800-xxx-xxxx because we need whatever was just on TV (not limited to just toys). Tonight at dinner she told me that I needed to call the number on TV and order the sling purse because my purse can be stolen, but the sling purse goes around your body so no one can steal it and it has a cell phone holder on the strap. She also informed me that we needed the slider cooker to cook mini hamburgers because it's faster and easier the grilling and it can also make egg sandwiches. She finds a reason to buy everything she sees in the infomercials on TV (even the super putty that you can use to fix the hem of your pants and is strong enough to pull a truck, because you never know when you are going to need that). Her favorite product is one that just came on TV...the Snuggie (a blanket that has holes for your arms). She wants it in light blue and was upset that santa didn't bring one for her. I'm just glad she hasn't figured out how to call the number and give them my credit card. Just pray she never discovers the shopping network.

Out with the old....In with the new

The end of 2008 brings the start of a new year that I am anxiously awaiting. 2009 has a lot in store for us already.

1st our new addition will be here in 43 (if not sooner) days...which will bring with it the 1st crawl, 1st laugh, 1st step and many other firsts I can't begin to list.

2nd Kaitlin will graduate Kindergarten and begin the 1st grade (oh she is getting so big)

3rd hope that the economy will get better (and when I say hopes that's probably all that is going to be) so we can sell both our homes and purchase a new bigger house.It doesn't seem like a lot, but the list will defiantly get bigger as the year goes on.

Now for a look back on 2008:

1. The kids got to stay up to celebrate new years with us (they didn't fall asleep till 2am and actually let me sleep in the next day) We celebrated new years with Keith and Beverly (also 9 months prego due on Jan 5th) at their house and the kids had their own party and the adults stayed up playing golf, bowling and tennis on the wii.
2. Kaitlin graduated Pre-K and started Kindergarten
3. Kaitlin started visiting her dad every other weekend until he went to Iraq
4. I got into my first accident (coincides with my first trip to Lake Havasu)
5. Bought a new car
6. Kaitlin started gymnastics
7. Kaitlin had her first school performance (she was a Pilgrim) and her second (she had to memorize words from the night before Christmas)
8. I found out I was pregnant
9. Took the kids to Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios

As for my New Years resolution...I plan on getting my finances together and myself out of debt. I have been in debt for as long as I can remember and it is time to put an end to it so we can have a little more money to put away for a rainy day.

Well that's all I can think of right now. I hope the new year is good to everyone and I wish you all the best. Happy New Year.