2006

Some people don't accomplish nearly the amount of things that "we" accomplished in 2006. (AND, I just wanted some of you to laugh at my blond hair!!)

ANNOUNCED 2nd Pregnancy



ATTENDED Two Day Wedding Extravaganza for Katie and Paul while PREGGO!



WATCHED Pat give speech at said Extravaganza after gaining about 20 pounds!




TRAVELED to Saint Louis



ATE the yummiest Easter Brunch ever, and watched Pat gain some more weight!




GRADUATED from Law School




MOVED to Anthem



(here's the full belly if you must see me less than 2 months before giving birth!)



PASSED the AZ Bar Exam-sadly I don't have a picture of this momentous event!

GAVE birth to darling Tyler!



SAW Rachael Ray in person at Ghetto Mills Mall!



LEARNED that Tyler had eyes only for Daddy back in the day!



MET the Anthem Santa for the first time!

And Now for a Sappy Moment!

I know that Pat and I have not been able to have kids for over a year now, but CORRECT THAT, Pat hasn't been able to have kids for over a year now, but I COULD! Not that I was planning on running off to have some kids with Justin Timberlake, but as of this coming Tuesday, I can't run off with Justin to have his babies. I know, I know-what are the chances, BUT a girl can dream!!!!!!! Right!??????

I DON'T want more kids, I can barely handle the two I have, and we are SOOOOOOOOOO BLESSED, so blessed, some people would love to have a boy and a girl, the boy first so that he can look out for his younger sister (some people think this way, I don't really care), and Jackson does that, he is GREAT, really!!!!! SOOOOOoooooooo, why do I seem sooooooooooo incredibly sad about this stage of my life coming to an end??? I really probably can't have more kids anyway, we tried, biggest blessing of my life was NOT getting pregnant. . .tried for a year, it was NOT meant to be!

BUT, I read all these blogs, see all these people getting pregnant, read about the people who CANNOT get pregnant, and it makes me wonder about what life with a third child would be like. I thought Jackson and Tyler were the most beautiful babies in the world (well, Tyler was kind of scary and scrawny, and I didn't really know what to do with her 7 pound 3 ounce self after all of Jackson's 9 pounds 9 ounces, but she "chubbed" up a little and got cute, now she's gorgeous, so really it all evens out in the end!), but I see other blogs, and really ALL babies look like my babies, so they are beautiful. It reminds me of all the FANTASTIC clothes, the smells, the first smile, step, tooth, etc. WHY DON'T THEY REMIND ME OF THE BAD? Being up all night, never sleeping, fighting with your husband because they don't know how to help (OMG, that still happens, does it ever stop!), the crying, the whining (still ongoing), not being able to eat real food, never leaving the house without fifteen changes of clothes, POTTY TRAINING, etc.

I may have just reminded myself of all the reasons why there is no baby 3, but it still breaks my heart, just a little, to think about never having a baby in the house again. It makes me smile a little though to think about the fact that the two little loves in my life, even with all their drama, illness, whining, crying, issues, etc, still make me tear up, thinking about the fact that they nor any other child will be a baby in this house, EVER AGAIN!



Oooooh, and how can I forget my Grandma, and how if you have a baby in the state of AZ, she will come sit in your hospital room for HOURS, just holding the baby so that you can sleep, watch TV, eat, whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I know that the procedure will improve my quality of life, or at least I hope, but it doesn't go unnoticed that these are the last of my precious babies!

Yummie Tummie Hip Length Shapewear Tank

This perfect-for-layering tank is actually shapewear! Everyone is talking about Yummie Tummie. The Tank flawlessly slims your midsection. Go ahead. Wear it under your favorite tops. It'll look great as it camouflages lumps and bumps! Body-conscious, shaping tank top. 100% cotton fabric, spandex tummy panel. Slick fabric will not cling to clothes. Tummy panel firmly shapes and smoothes bustline to hips. Moisture-wicking, keeps you feeling cool and dry. Elongated design, will not roll up. Tagless for comfort. Hip length and designed to be perfect for layering. Available Colors: Black, Chocolate,... Ivory, Navy, Nude, Pale Blue, Pale Pink, Salmon, White Available Sizes: LARGE, MEDIUM, SMALL, X-LARGE

I WANT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER CUTE NEW BLOG!

I wish my friend, Jen, would post pictures of her house on here because then you could see just how stinking GREAT her taste is! I love it, I love the blog tips, and for you etsy lovers, she is always talking about etsy!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Too funny to leave out of the Ten on Tuesday! I really want to submit it to Jay Leno. . .God Bless Tyler's teachers, they were soooooooooooooo proud of this project, and when I took a look at it, I couldn't stop laughing, SERIOUSLY!!!???? Plimoth. . .try Plymouth next time people!



(and a picture of Tyler because she wanted to hold her boat and have her picture taken!)



2. I need to find some guidance in becoming the mom I would like to be. . .because most days, I am TOTALLY NOT!!!

3. Next Tuesday, I am going in for a bladder sling and uterine ablation. I am anxious to see how it all goes, I wonder if it will bring the desired relief, but mostly I am scared about the "No Driving for Two Weeks Rule!" When the procedure was sold to me, the doctor told me one week, then I got the papers in the mail and it said two weeks. I haven't told Pat about this yet because I fear he may FLIP OUT! I am totally going to have to send out a schedule of drivers, but I don't live close to the schools, what the heck am I going to do? I certainly cannot be alone in the house with them for two weeks, SHOOT ME NOW!

4. I don't like Sarah Palin, that is no secret, but she THREW McCain under the bus on Oprah, and apparently does this again and again on 20/20 Friday night, so I am curious, if you liked her before, do you still like her? Do you like her more than McCain? Because I like McCain WAY MORE THAN HER, and she just gave me ANOTHER REASON to hate her! Although I want to squeeze that sweet little baby, Trig! He is just too cute for words!

5. While I LOVE Dolce's services, I absolutely DESPISE the girls that work at the front desk, most specifically the Arrowhead location. THEY ARE MORONS, no one knows how to ring up gift cards, they stare into space and wait for some other MORON to come to their assistance, FOR THE LOVE. . .Tabitha would DIE if she saw the crap these girls are pulling!

6. Each year as Jackson's birthday approaches, I start to get depressed. I DID NOT put one thought into how TERRIBLE a December birthday would be, not only December but TWO DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, who has the energy?! I am a person who thinks out EVERYTHING, but seriously, he NEVER gets to go to school on his birthday! While he calls his school birthday his "pretend" birthday, we all know it is not the same! Sweet thing just wants me to bring him McDonald's like we did for Tyler on her birthday! Lucky for me, this year his birthday is on a Sunday, Football Day, the day he loves most!

7. Pat and I watched The Ugly Truth this weekend (1) HYSTERICAL (2) Maybe I am getting old, but was it TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE!?? (3) Pat and I just kept wondering if we really heard the tv correctly!???

8. Has anyone ever been to the Wrigley Mansion? I feel I want to go, but I also feel it may be overrated!

9. I really want the Cardinals to do well this year. They are so random with when they play well and when they do not, but I am desperate to have a team to cheer for once Fantasy Football is over!

10. My mom's college roommate, Joanie, moved here this summer. I love that she is here. I know her situation is TOTALLY different than Karissa's, but it gives me hope that MAYBE one day Karissa and I will live in the same city!

Holiday Drama

When I was younger, I used to think that my family was unique in that we fight over everything! I was embarrassed by this, and I would try to keep it on the down low! However, as I grow up, I am learning that we are NOT unique, every family has their own drama, and I really have NOTHING to be embarrassed about. I met the cutest elderly lady at Target the other day, she was my cashier. We started chatting about getting ready for the holidays, the drama, the fighting, etc. She told me that her family once had a fight over how the Christmas tree should be decorated. Then, she whispered a little "secret", "If you have a glass of wine before the start of the party, it will all seem a little easier to deal with!"

I would have to say that our biggest family fight, probably happened over Easter when Pat and I lived in San Antonio, but our biggest Christmas fight was probably over what time to eat Christmas Eve dinner.

What has your biggest Christmas fight been over? Maybe this will help bring some realization to how stupid these fights are and bring some relaxation to the holiday season.

PS-I obviously do not know how to spell the word embarrassed!!!! It came up twice during spell check, and then, I had to check it again after I typed the PS! That's kind of funny!

Seattle

I think about returning to Seattle about twelve hundred times a day. I have never been to a place where I just love it from the moment the plane touches down. I am not easily impressed. Something about Seattle impressed me. I don't know if it was the people, the food, the weather, the atmosphere, etc. Maybe it wouldn't be as GREAT if I lived there, but honestly, it is my happy place. I can only imagine all I didn't get to see and do since we were there for all of 24 hours, but I think about taking the kids there, watching Tyler eat MASSIVE AMOUNTS of fruit at the Market, going on a boat, to the top of the Space Needle, the possibilities are endless. Maybe we will just forget about buying a house here and get one there. I am sooooooooo thankful I got to go to Seattle this year!