Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Whether you are giving a bottle to your baby dolls or spinning around in circles, hugging my neck or saying hi to the dogs, eating a big handful of cheerios or climbing onto the couch, you are always a joy and my little tiny love.
One year ago today you made our little family of three a big family of four. You made Natalie into a big sister, and a very happy little girl. We all love you SOOO much. Your smile is so bright (and your cry so loud!)! What did we do without you?
Happy First Birthday Vanessa Lida!!!!!!

50 Questions...

that I shamelessly stole from another blog!!

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? I don't actually take care of the bills, Larry does! But I do hate that I still owe on my student loan. I think I will have a party when it is finally all paid off.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? I don't really remember, isn't that horrible? We ordered pizza last night. It wasn't really romantic, but it was yummy!
3. Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to? No, and I will leave it at that.
4. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be? Wow, this one is hard. I guess I would have done college a little differently. I would have been more serious about it and I would have taken that internship in Kansas City.
5. Name of your second grade teacher? I really can't remember right now!
6. What do you really want to be doing right now? I wouldn't mind curling back up in my bed and sleeping some more.
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up? an author
8. How many colleges did you attend? 3 (I went to Butler my senior year of high school, finished up my foreign language requirements at Wichita State and spent four years at the University of Kansas...which I graduated from)
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? It's my 2002 Final Four shirt and I wore it to bed.
11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you where would it be? I'm not sure. I would love to live on a lake in Minnesota, but their winters are brutal.
12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? "Vanessa! Go back to sleep!!"
13. Last thought before going to sleep last night? I hope it doesn't storm so Axel doesn't keep me up all night.
14.What do you miss about being a child? less responsibilities
16. What errand/chore do you despise? general picking up
17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer? I really hope that when my kids get bigger I can volunteer a lot
18. Get up early or sleep in? definitely sleep in when I can
19. What is your favorite cartoon character? Right now I really like Woody from Toy Story
20. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl/guy? talk and then talk some more
21. Have you found real love yet? yes I have
22. When did you start feeling old? when I realized I am older than most of the popular singers/actors/sports stars right now.
24. Your favorite lunch meat? ham
25. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart? baby stuff (food, diapers, wipes, etc..)
26. Beach or lake? lake
27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? no, but people today don't take it very seriously. And then there are those that would take it seriously but are not allowed to get married because of who they are...and I don't agree with that at all.
28. Do you own property? I will someday!
29. Favorite Guilty pleasure? really stupid reality tv
30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out? I really like a lot of kids movies
31. What's your drink? when I am not pregnant it is plain old Bud Light
32. Cowboys or Indians? Indians...when we were learning about this in school I always felt somehow personally responsible for taking their land. And their religion and devotion to the land has always intrigued me.
33. Cops or Robbers? totally depends
34. Who from high school would you like to run in to? Holly. I miss her.
35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now? 98.7, because I listen to the morning sports show
36. Grey's Anatomy or The Office? it used to be Grey's Anatomy, but it is just not that good anymore. I have recently discovered The Office and it literally makes me laugh out loud.
37. Worst relationship mistake you wish you could take back? a few years after my heart was broken in a very uncaring way, I broke someone else's heart in about the same way. I still feel ashamed about that.
38. How many times a week do you cook? Not as often as I should. We have lots of "find your own" nights. It is just so frustrating to cook a meal and then have your kid not even touch it. On Wednesday I made chicken fettuccine alfredo and Nat wouldn't even try it (but it was so good)!
39. What is worrying you right now? Right this minute it is how I'm going to have enough room in this house for another baby.
40. What famous person would you like to have dinner with? George Bush, and every time he looked away I would throw some food at him (because I am just that mature!)
41. Indoors or Outdoors? definitely outdoors
42. Have you ever crashed your vehicle? yep, I rolled my first truck when I was 15.
43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose? no
44. Last book you read? "Goodnight Steve McQueen"...I can't remember the author. It was a quick, easy read.
45. Do you have a teddy bear? I have some that used to be mine but are my girls' now
46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth? a sketchy hotel in Mexico using bottled water
47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go? San Francisco
48. Do you go to church? no
49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship? I am excited about having a career after my kids get older.
50. How long have you been out of school? 6 years

It costs how much?!?!?!?

When I was younger and people of an "older generation" would go on about how things were cheaper "back in the day" my eyes would go into perma-roll and my mind would begin to wander...like to that scene in Top Gun where they are all playing volleyball....mmmm, Iceman....mmmm.....no shirts...mmmm. **I digress**

So let me just preface this by saying if you keep rolling your eyes like that they will stay that way...



Man, things were cheaper back in the day, weren't they?



I am in the midst of planning our family vacation and holy crap, things are expensive. If all goes according to plan we will be going to Colorado Springs the first week of June. I am getting all the details ironed out and doing a lot of research so we are not surprised by prices when we get there. I want to be prepared so it is not all "hey kids, sleeping in the car is F-U-N!!" We are planning on doing all the good tourist stuff like Seven Falls, Royal Gorge, Garden of the Gods, and most importantly to some, the North Pole themed amusement park. I also wanted to take the family on the cog train up to the summit of Pike's Peak. I went in college with a friend and loved the scenery and the view. And Natalie wants to ride a train! So I was looking into it and do you have any idea how much it costs to ride a basic old train up a mountain? $30...per person!!! For that much I expect an in-ride meal, with desert. And not a crappy desert like a cookie with one chocolate chip. I am talking cheese cake piled with syrupy cherries. And maybe a light chocolate drizzle. I don't ask for much, really.
I haven't decided yet if we are going to spring for the tickets or not. If we do we are going to have to cut out something else, and I'm not sure what that would be. I wouldn't mind cutting out the North Pole, but I know Nat will get a kick out of it, and it would be kind of selfish to plan the whole vacation without any input from the other travelers. We are already not going to tour the cave because someone might get scared down there, or worse fall into one of those bottomless pits. See, I'm making sacrifices too!
So all of the prices are a little daunting to me. Not to mention the $4-a-gallon gas prices that will probably be hitting about the time we are leaving. But really, in the end it will be worth it. Some of my most favorite memories from being a kid are from our annual summer vacations. I want to create those kind of memories for my kids too. When Natalie is 28 and has a family of her own I want her to be able to say, "Hey, remember that vacation we took to Colorado? We had so much fun listening to Dad bitch about driving and Mom bitch about the price of everything and then we just had to sit in our car and look at the mountain because we couldn't afford to actually go up it and Vanessa didn't sleep at all because she wasn't in her own crib so she screamed and we were all tired and I threw so many tantrums you thought about leaving me and pretending you didn't remember that you had two kids when you went and the whole ride home we all kept asking how much longer till we could get out of the stupid car because we were restless and Mom was pregnant and getting car sick."
Ahhh! Good times!!! I sure am excited!!!

The kind of weekend you wish would never end!

What a wonderful weekend! It was so pretty and we had so much fun!! Our big outing was to the Shriner circus. I will admit that I wasn't very excited about it this year. Last time we went it was a little less than spectacular....like way less. So I didn't have giant expectations. But I was pleasantly surprised and delighted when this circus was actually pretty good. There were trapeze artists, acrobats, older ladies who did magic and dressed up poodles (ok, this doesn't sound that great, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds), elephants, tigers, and clowns. We had a great time except for Vanessa who really could have cared less about the whole thing and just wanted to go home and sleep. I even let Natalie ride the elephant at intermission which I am really kind of against. It just doesn't seem right to me. But anyway, she did it and had fun. I was worried about her going without Larry or I, but she was such a big girl and actually wanted to go by herself.
We also played outside SO much this weekend. The weather was so beautiful that we were outside more than we were inside. Vanessa got an outdoor Little Tykes playhouse for her birthday and rather than struggling with putting it up next Saturday before her party we just decided to put it up on Saturday. We have only had it for a few days and I already think it was worth every penny we spent on it. The girls just love it. Natalie pretends like crazy in it. One side is a school, one side is a bank/market, one side is a gas station, and the last side is a sports wall. She had Larry and I ordering food, using the ATM, getting gas, and learning our ABC's...all in one place!! Vanessa just likes being in it at this point. Oh, and opening and closing the door, she LOVES to just stand there and open and close, open and close. So cute! Sunday was spent cleaning house and playing outside again. Nothing too exciting, but still good family fun! All in all, it was just one of those weekends that make you smile!
Here are a few sample pics!

The High Price of Gas

Warning: this post rated "TMI" for too much info!

Are any of you fans of "Sex and the City"? I am! I love that show. I love the fact that 99.9% of the things that happen to those girls will never happen to me. I live vicariously through Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda. Recently though, I have found something that Miranda and I do have in common.
If you did watch that show you know that Miranda became pregnant one season. I remember one show vividly. They are out shopping and eating and being out and Miranda cannot stop farting. It was hilarious. Yeah, not so funny anymore.
I don't remember being this gassy with my first two pregnancies. I am just full of gas! It would be great if I could charge $3.20 like Quik Trip. I could be rich! During the day I am ok. I have moments where my tummy cramps up and there are times I have to "let it go", but I haven't had a big public embarrassing moment or anything like that. And then there is the end of the day. All I can say is, poor Larry. Right before bed I bloat up and look like I am about 5 months along instead of 2. I hurt and I moan and I have even shed a tear or two. And all I want to do is get it out. Gross, huh? So gross that it all leads me to believe this one is a boy. Boys are gross right from the start!
So there you go. More than you wanted to know I'm sure, but I feel better getting it off my chest..or my tummy as the case may be.

one week later...

I really have sat down at the computer numerous times over the last week to blog, and then I just can't. Part of it is being so close to the screen and the colors and stuff makes me want to puke a little. Part of it is my brain is so full of other stuff that it can't form coherent sentences that anyone would want to read. I mean, a person can only read so much about how tired and shitty I feel most of the time.
I am getting more used to this whole being pregnant again thing. I am 9 weeks now and I have good days and bad. There have been recent days that I have thought to myself "ok, yeah, I can have three kids." And then there are days I just want to hide under a rock and not come out. But we are surviving. I am keeping us pretty busy. Natalie has school Monday mornings, gymnastics on Tuesday, and cooking class on Wednesday. She is really enjoying her time away from home. She is getting better and better at listening and doing what she is supposed to do. I am so proud of her. She really likes cooking class. Yesterday they made pizzas and she was so happy with herself! She was telling me all about the different cheeses they used and the sauce and the dough. It was so neat seeing her so proud of something she created. I am going to start letting her get a lot more involved when I cook.
So, of course, when I actually feel like writing I have an almost one-year0old that desperately wants her mama to hold her...I will try to continue this later!

HE'S STAYING!!!!

Sorry...I know I just posted (see below), but I just found out..........

***Bill Self is staying at KU***

Natalie and I just got done doing our "happy Bill Self is staying dance", which looks something like a cross between a chicken and Carlton from "The Fresh Price of Bel-Aire", all while saying WOO WOO over and over again. Aren't you sorry you missed that?

Being pregnant is just no fun.

I really wish I could enjoy this pregnancy. It will be my last and I am sad that I am hating it so much. Don't get me wrong, I love the end results, but I have hated all three pregnancies. I had hoped this one might be different than the previous ones, but I am now puking every. single. day. It sucks.
Here is some other random info for you:

*Vanessa is talking a lot now. Most of it is still unintelligible, but she has some words that come out clear as day. She says "hi", "bye", "dada", "mama", "doggy" and "birdie". There are other words that she has said only once so I don't count them until I hear them again.

*My bestest friend Liz is about ready to pop out a baby. I don't think it is going to be soon enough for her, but it is not going to be long. I can't wait to meet Jack. If he is anything like his big sister he will be nothing but a cute little bundle of joy. I love you Liz!!!

*I am going to have another niece or nephew at about the same time I have my baby. My brother-in-law's girlfriend is due somewhere around the end of November also. I just love that my kids are going to have so many cousins so close in age. It is going to be so much fun to watch them all grow up together.

OK, I think that's about it for now. Vanessa is standing in front of my with a blanket over her head trying to play peek-a-boo. It is not really any fun to play that by yourself so I guess I will go join in!


*

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

Well, I can finally write about my team. I have wanted to for a while, but I always got nervous that whatever I would say would jinx them (I am very superstitious). But...........

WE ARE THE 2008 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!

I am SO excited and happy. I can't even express it appropriately in words. There must be accompanying hand gestures, leg kicks, and shouts of glee, none of which I can put here in my blog. So, I just have to say that I am thrilled.

Saturday was the final four and we played *drum roll please* North Carolina. This was significant for many reasons. Our schools have two of the most fabled and historic basketball programs in America. Their legendary coach, Dean Smith, is from Kansas and played and graduated from KU. Our last coach, Roy Williams, jetted 5 years ago to go back to his alma mater, UNC. There is just a lot of history there. Not to mention, Larry likes UNC, I love and worship KU. We were worried that we would still be married on Sunday. The girls went to my moms house so we could watch the game in peace (or yell horrible obscenities at each other without little ears overhearing). We got into our first little tiff when they were announcing the starting line-up. Larry thought our video was stupid, I thought his was. It was not a good start to the evening. But after that, things went surprisingly well. I could have been VERY mean when we took at 28 point lead, he could have been VERY mean when they cut it to four. But we kept ourselves in check and overall, we got along well, had fun watching the game, and celebrated like crazy people when KU won (ok, that last one was just me).
Yesterday was the BIG GAME! We played Memphis. I was scared of this game. Memphis is big and athletic and they like to run as much as we do. It was a great game, close from beginning to end. We were nine points behind with just a couple minutes remaining and you could see the Tigers thought they had it in the bag. But you could also see the Jayhawks were not about to give up. They pushed the ball, Sherron Collins had a big steal on a Memphis inbounds play and then hit a huge three, they basically played with heart and soul. And then, with 2.1 seconds remaining and three points down, Sherron handed the ball off to Mario Chalmers and he hit the biggest three pointer I can remember in KU history. At that moment, when I saw the ball hit nothing but net, I knew we could, and would, win. We hit the first six points in overtime and they just had no answer. We played the overtime like we had no doubt that this was our game. It was just wonderful to watch as a fan. Many of our players are seniors or are leaving early for the NBA. This was the absolute best way to say goodbye. We also may lose our coach, but I don't want to talk about that yet.
I will admit that I cried during Bill's pregame speeches, both on Saturday and yesterday, and also when we won. I am pregnant and hormonal and the biggest KU fan I know, so don't judge me! I have waited twenty years to see my team prove they are the best. Doing it the first time all four number one seeds made the final four was just the icing on the cake. We really were the best of the best.
What an awesome time to be a KU fan!! I wish I could be in Lawrence today at the homecoming celebration. What fun that would be. Larry and I went once when we made the final four and it was so cool to be in a place where everyone was so pumped and happy and excited.
So, if you are not a KU fan today, I'm sorry for your team, but only one can be the champion. And this year it is us!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK! GO KU!

Comments about comments and other stuff

I have been meaning to write this for a while, but I'm just getting around to it. Typical.

To EVERYONE who has left me comments...thank you so much. This whole pregnancy thing has kind of thrown me for a loop, and to come here and see all these friends and family (some of whom I didn't even know read my blog) say such nice things makes me feel a little better. I just love all of you so much (there is a little hormonal emotion flowing at you...can you feel it?).

I am feeling a little better tonight. I kept pretty active today and did surprisingly well. Natalie had her first cooking class this afternoon so I got to take Vanessa and chat with the other moms. I really like taking her to these classes. One, because I know she loves it and is building her skills, both social and active. Two, because I get to sit and talk to other adults about things that adults like to talk about...such as our kids. I still have Vanessa with me, and she is getting more difficult by the day, but I still manage to get some good chatting time in. Nat had a great time cooking. It was so funny, we heard all of them say "yay!" and so we went to look and they were just washing their hands to get ready. Talk about some excited kids. They made no-bake cookies, yummy! Then we took a trip to the library. My girls just love getting new books. Vanessa is even getting into it. When we got home she carried over one of her board books and plopped down in my lap. Natalie got another one and sat beside us. We spent the time before dinner sitting on the living room floor reading Usborne "That's not my.." series books. If you have little kids and haven't checked these books out, you should. We checked out "That's Not My Fairy" and "That's Not My Truck" today. They are touch-and-feel books. They are simple and bright. Little kids, first starting to like books really enjoy them. Nat even liked them again today. It was so nice to have a little quiet time with my girls. It didn't last nearly long enough, but was great while it did last.

Funny Natalie story: The girls were playing and "talking" to each other tonight. I was half listening. Ok, I was just listening enough to know that no one was screaming. Natalie all of a sudden got all excited and said, "Mom! She said 'mine'!" I have never heard Vanessa say that and got down on the floor and was trying to get her to say it again (although I am totally sure I will regret that down the road when I hear it six thousand times a day). Then Natalie said, very seriously and sincerely, "And then she said 'delicious'!" I KNOW that she did not say delicious, and now I really don't know if she said mine. I have a feeling she did say it and then Nat just got a little carried away. I had to laugh, though. That girl is something else!

BLAH!

I have been feeling so blah lately. I can't get motivated to do anything! I just sit there and feel like I'm going to puke. The only energy I do have goes to my kids and there is just nothing left over. This pregnancy is kicking my ass, just like the last two. I am certainly not one of those women that loves being pregnant. I don't glow. I just look a little green. I am always starving and then I get the actual food and can't even imagine putting any of it in my mouth. I am mentally and physically out of it. It really sucks. I feel sorry for my kids because I know they are not getting my best. I take care of them, but I haven't been playing a lot. Natalie begs me to get down on the floor and play dolls and all I can do is just sit on the couch and quietly moan. I really hope I start feeling better soon. I just want to feel like myself again.
Ok, enough of the "poor-me" poorly written post. I am going to go snuggle up and watch "Arthur" with Natalie. Watching tv is one thing I can do.