Recovered

We recovered finally from our busy weekend. Erica's dance recital was fun. My camera broke after two pictures. It started showing white lines through the screen :( So Saturday morning we had to get up early to go buy a new one since I couldn't be without a camera for Mikayla's first dance recital. She was so cute! She did a great job! Father's day was really fun too. We ended up having Adam's whole family over after breakfast for a fun afternoon at our house. Then we went and got some patio furniture and then my Dad and Rhonda came over for dinner.It was a lot of fun. I have a picture of Mikayla in her dance recital...


This is pretty funny...a gas station in Mpls about a week ago:

Busy weekend ahead

This weekend is going to fly by like last weekend. We are going to be so busy. We have Erica's (Adam's little sis) dance recital on Friday night. Then we have Mikayla's dance recital on Saturday and finishing up with Father's Day on Sunday. The puppy is getting bigger and bigger everyday and is looking less like a puppy. She has a lot of energy and thinks she is a lap dog :)

Here is a picture of Shadow at 10 weeks:

Two weeks from tomorrow we find out the gender of Baby "G". I can't wait! I know it will be here quickly. I will then be half way through my pregnancy :) YAY! My tummy is getting bigger and will have to take some belly shots soon. I didn't do that with Mikayla and I kind of wish I had. For sure on the days of the ultrasounds. I heard from my grandma yesterday. She is going ok. She can't walk without a walker anymore and definitely can't drive anymore. She can't even get into a car. I am happy that she got out when she could...even the days she didn't really want to. She even told me that she was happy she did. It took a lot of convincing but it was worth it.

Adam, Mikayla, and I went out to dinner last night to Rudy's Red Eye Grill in Lakeville. Normally I wouldn't write about a dining out experience, however this one is well worth talking about. Our server's name is Kevin. I haven't had this great of a server in a long, long time! I really felt like I couldn't leave him enough for a tip. I don't usually feel like that. I typically leave 10-15% (more like 15%) as long as the server isn't horrible. I left this one more than that. He was friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and had a great personality. Aside from the server, the food was great! I ordered the steak with smashed cheesy potatoes and green beans. It was so good! I always say the way to tell a great steak is you can eat it without steak sauce and it has lots of flavor. That was this one for sure! I had the server bring it just in case, but never touched it! The atmosphere was nice. A little dark, but very neat. They had chandeliers that had little red lamps on the top and booths with high backs for privacy. The food was a little on the pricey side. I would say more expensive than Timberlodge, but the food was better! It was definitely worth the extra money! I am planning on calling the manager today to give my rave review and make sure the waiter is recognized!

Settling In

It has been two weeks since my last blog! No WAY! Well, I guess that what happens when moving comes around. You get so busy! The house is great! No more stinky apartment living for us! Mikayla is playing outside every second she gets. Our neighbors are awesome! We live in a cul-de-sac and have met 3 of the 6 neighbors so far. The house to the right is an older couple with two grandkids around Mikayla's age. They are two girls ages 5 and 7. Mikayla plays with them during the week after pre-school when we get home. The girls are at the grandparents house during the week as they are their daycare/after school care. The house to the left is a couple that is probably late 30's to early 40's. They are hip and fun. They bought us a flower pot for the house as a "welcome" to the neighborhood. We say "hi" just about every day. The house on the other side of them is another older couple, grandparents, and have a 1 year old grandkid. The wife does alterations out of her home...good to know! They have a bonfire pit and some chairs in the middle of the circle where the men get together to talk about "manly" stuff. Adam was invited there the next time the men are "out".

We are still unpacking but it is coming along. Most of Mikayla's stuff is unpacked and she can enjoy her toys again. The puppy is getting bigger each day. Her potty training is coming along nicely. You have to watch the signs though with her! She will go hide and poop some where if you miss that warning bark.

We had Mikayla's dance dress rehearsal last night. It was so cute to see all the 3 and 4 year olds do all the different dances and all the different costumes! They were so adorable and some of them were really good. I have this cough that I just can't shake. I ended up having a coughing fit in the middle of the auditorium...how embarrassing! Then afterwards we stopped at MCD for some dinner for Mikayla. They were screwing up orders left and right! There were three guys in 5 minutes with three separate orders that went off on the guy handing out the orders. Luckily the happy meal was a simple order and made it out correctly! Then we were off to SuperTarget.

I am always on the look out for an easy main dish to make during the week that is good, yet somewhat healthy. I like to have a meat as the main dish and it is hard to find a quick and easy meat. Well, I think I have found one. Hormel makes these (see picture above), but they are in a black plastic container that you can pop into the microwave. I got the BBQ Beef Brisquit last night and it was really good. I made it along with some pasta roni and it was a great meal! It only took my about 10 minutes for the whole thing! Now that is a fast meal! They also have Beef Stroganoff and Meatloaf. They are so tasty! It still costs less than a meal at MCD for two people. It makes me want to pick up some more! I got some chicken breasts last night and am going to marinate them when I get home to slap on the grill tonight. This will be my first attempt at grilling. I am a little nervous, but I think I can handle it :)

Oh and can you believe gas it at $4.09~~~AUGH! At leas the temp is going to be 75 today and not above 80, so the windows are open! Well, back to work. We have a super busy weekend ahead with Erica's dance recital on Friday night, Mikayla's on Saturday afternoon, and Father's Day on Sunday. Whew!

3 days and counting...

We move in 3 days! I drove past our house on Saturday and our "sold" sign is up in front of the yard :) I can't wait! We had some issues with Mikayla on Friday. I got a call from the preschool that she was having issues with her bowels/bladder. I called the pediatrician that I was going to start taking her to to see if they could get me in that day (it was already after 2:00 PM). I had an appointment for June 2nd, but that was still over a week out. She couldn't wait that long anymore. The nurse told me that they were booked and short one doctor that had to leave for an emergency. She would discuss the symptoms and things with a doctor and call me back. 5 minutes later they had a time at 3:00 for me. I had 30 minutes to get to Burnsville from downtown and get my kid over to the doctor. I made no time to spare. After about an hour and a half we found out that she was full of sh**! HA! J/K. But really, she was. She had it everywhere! She had symptoms of a bladder infection, but no bacteria. After the x-ray, it showed it on both sides of her stomach and in her pelvis. It was pushing her bladder to the point it was tensing and she couldn't control it anymore. The doc put her on a bladder relaxer for 4 days and told me to get some Miralax and Enima's. I had to give her an enima on Friday night, Sunday, and possibly two more every other day. She is starting to do better now. She will probably need another one tonight.

Saturday morning Adam went to his boss's house to help put up a rock wall for the pool. He picked me and the puppy up around 3:00 since he was picking up some more material in Burnsville. We went back to Curt's house and ended up staying for dinner/BBQ. It was fun. I started coming down with a small sore throat and by Sunday morning it was full blown! Head pressure, sore throat, stomach ache, just all around sick! I was layed up all day except for the hour we went to the mall to get Mikayla some summer clothes. I had to take advantage of the Memorial Day sales! I also picked up some Sudafed at Walgreens. I took a short nap on the couch while Mikayla and Adam watched TV on the floor. Mikayla said to Adam (while I was sleeping so I am told) "Mommy is snoring really loud!" HA! That is so cute. I guess I couldn't breathe through my nose.

Monday was busy. We were behind in packing/cleaning for two days and now it was "go" time. We started in on the closets and cleaning. By the time I got done cleaning out the entire fridge and freezer, we went to my dad's for dinner. Hey, why not. We don't have much to eat at our house since it is mostly all packed! Now it is Tuesday. I have another Doc appointment for me and the baby today at 3:45. I am a little stressed and nervous today since we move in 3 days and i don't feel "ready". I will 4 months along on Thursday :) So, in a nutshell this is my life to date. :) Oh yeah, my dad also bought Rhonda a brand new 2008 motorcycle...silver w/blue flames. That so does not sound like my dad!

Just a quick "hello"

I am really tired today and yesterday. I have been sleeping all night, but I think the new puppy and the stress of moving is really starting to wear me out. We move in 10 days! I got Mikayla's dance recital tickets last night...all 8 of them for $12 a piece....you do the math! I have to call the dealership today to check on the status of my new sunroof, since it is leaking again...under warranty. I have my Junior Achievement on Thursday that I volunteered for. I will be at a Hopkins Elementary school teaching 1st graders. That is exciting. Memorial Day is monday and Tuesday marks my mom's birthday and my next Dr. appointment. I am taking the dog in on Friday morning while the guys start loading the U-haul to get her ears cropped. They will keep her all day, so that is good. She won't be a hassel for moving. At least I took the following Monday off too to get some things in order and rest. That is really all for now. Just trying to stay awake at work...getting very difficult!

New Puppy!

Well I realize that we already have a lot on our plate, but we added one more a couple days ago. We went and got a new puppy. We have been talking about getting a dog for over a year now and we decided that we wanted a Doberman. I was raised with them and they are wondeful! They are smart, friendly, and protective. We really wanted to get one with the ears cropped and the tail docked. It is hard to find that at a reasonable price! Our on-going search was leading us to a breeder 3 hours north of here at $2500 for one dog! That did not include breeding ability or full show papers. If you wanted that it would have been $3500! Way too much! Adam was ready to jump on it, but being the thrifty one that I am, I couldn't bring myself to it! Monday I was online searching through the Star Tribune classifieds and spotted one ad for doberman pups. They were born on 4/1 and the tails, dew claws, and shots were all done. They were selling for $650 for a female. Well, that is what we paid for our last Doberman 20 years ago! That was a great price! I called and left a message for the owners. When they called me back they had told me that a lady in WI was driving home from IA and was coming to get the last female black/tan that night. However, she had called on Sunday night to confirm and when the owners tried to call her back twice, they couldn't reach her. The told me to wait and they would call me back. They tried her a third time and never got a response. I was in! I had to come up that night to get the dog...first come...first serve basis. I called Adam in a panic mode to see if he could get off work early. There was no way that was happening! After several long phone calls between myself and the owner, we finally found our way to St. Croix Falls WI at about 8:45 PM. We got the dog, got the papers, and headed back home. We arrived back at home at about 10:30PM and didn't get to bed until midnight. The puppy slept in the kennel all night (well, more like whined in the kennel all night). We didn't get much sleep. Luckily I was working from home Tuesday, so I didn't have to get up early.

I still left her in the kennel most of the day as she would be if we were at work. She did a great job and only cried about three times. We named her Shadow since she follows us around like a shadow. She is very bitey since she is teething, and smells like a puppy! Mikayla and Adam adore her and she is a wonderful addition to our family. My dad came over on Tuesday night to see her and he was grinning from ear to ear. She fell asleep on him, and he fell in love. Anyway, that is the story of the puppy and I miss her already. Yesterday was hard...I was having separation anxiety from the dog! HA! Today I feel a little better, but still miss her.

Expecting

Yes, that means exactly what it says. We are expecting. We heard the heart beat last week and decided it was time to spread the news. I will be 13 weeks tomorrow and couldn't be more excited. We have our first ultrasound today along with the first trimester screening test. I am hoping I get to bring the pictures home with me. We have our next/last ultrasound appointment on June 27th. That is the day we find out the sex of the baby. We both really want to know. We are still counting down to the big move. 3 weeks and 2 days. It got me thinking about when I moved up here from FL when I was 9 months pregnant with Mikayla. That was horrible. It seems I always make my big moves when I am pregnant! HA! At least I won't be so big this time. Adam, Mikayla, and I are participating in the Race for the Cure this weekend. I have been doing this every year going on 4 years now. It is a lot of fun. Mikayla does the fun run for the kids on Saturday and Sunday is the walk for everyone. We are also getting Mikayla's dance pictures taken this evening. She looks so cute in her costume! I am still trying to decide about hair/make-up...no make-up.. maybe just a little lip gloss and blush.

May 22nd I am volunteering for Junior Achievement with my work. I go to a school in Hopkins and teach 1st graders about banking...well basic stuff. It is paid time too. I am trying to get more involved with volunteering before I get too bogged down with kids :) Well, that's all the news for now. Talk to you soon!