Happy Trails...

Happy trails to you blog world!  I will be on hiatus for the next few days on a VACAY!  First time with little boy...so wish us luck.  Before we go, I wanted to leave you with a few pics:

Here's Nolan getting clean for his trip with his first big boy bath:

And here's Nolan getting ready for his first hiking trip with Dad:

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Wordless Wednesday-Sedona, AZ 2008!

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Today I've found myself saying this phrase in my head numerous times...which is a nicer way of saying things that tick me off. 

1) What is the point of ordered a non-fat hot chocolate if you order extra-extra whip cream?  Doesn't that just add the calories back and then some?

2) Do people really still write checks at stores?  Well yes as a matter fact they do...and I always end up in line behind them.

3) Extreme couponing is the worst thing that has happened to the normal couponer.  You go to get a buy one, get one free item and alas the aisle is empty.  You say to yourself, no biggie I'll just get the other items on my list.  Ha ha joke is on you that aisle is empty too.  At this the CVS lady will say, "You have to be here when the doors open on Sunday."  What is this Black Friday?  C'mon couponers you don't need a million toothpastes or body wash.  Leave some for us normal folk. 

4) Why is it that I finally get my garden to grow and some type of caterpillar has decided to demolish my beautiful growing broccoli plant?  Apparently, white butterflies or moths like to lay eggs on broccoli and then these green caterpillars will appear and eat your broccoli.  Google's reply to the question how to get rid of the pests, "Pick them off one by one and squish them."  Oh yeah and don't forget to pick the eggs off one by one too or else you are right back where you started.

5) Why is it that after every time we have some rain I find ants in my house?  I loathe these creatures, and I was just thinking in my head, "Wow since we've gotten new windows I haven't seen them by the sink."  Cue ants crawling around my sink coming somewhere from my windowsill. 

Sheww...I feel better now.  At that I will leave on a positive note with another song I'm loving from Adele.  I loved it when 311 redid this song, so of course I would also love when Adele sings it! :)

Monday Ramblings

Lately I've been contemplating on what I could do as a SAHM to bring some extra moolah into our household.  It's not like me not to be receiving a paycheck...I've been working since I was in high school.  However as many of you know I'm no Domestic Diva so there are no Etsy shops in my future.  Many of you SAHM lovely bloggers do work from the home, and I think why can't I do that?  Yet I cannot think of what I could or should do.  My background is in business...where I worked 7 years as a manager in a sales environment specifically finance.  I have a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, and I majored in business management.  I have a strong work ethic, and I'm a quick learner.  Any ideas out there?  Or better yet can I work for you? :) 

On another note...I am loving this Adele song:

Adele why can't your concert tickets be cheaper?  Please answer my friend Sara's letter and get her to that concert!

My Closets Have Been Kidnapped...

Yes that's right...my closets are now being held captive by none other than my baby boy---or more like his toys and clothes.  This picture below illustrates the problem at hand.  The boy is only 8 months old, and he already has two large space bags full of clothes that are too small and working on a third one. 

I think we need a bigger house...

Who knew someone so small could have such an elaborate wardrobe?

A Late Wordless Wednesday Post-Las Vegas 2008!

Eight Is Great!

Ok seriously why is time flying by so fast...and why are you almost a year old? Ummm...you are supposed to be a little baby forever not turning into a little boy! We've still just got two bottom teeth but in the last week you've been teething like crazy...your gums are swollen, and I believe even the other bottom two beside the middle are going to make an appearance with those front top two. It's been so painful it's been causing you to wake up at night which is not like you at all. You little cry was so sad...I wish I could make it all better!You are still my little observer who is always taking everything in. You love being outside and in your baby pool which means you finally like bath time!I believe you are weighing in at 17.5 pounds and maybe 28 inches in length? You won't have your next appointment until the end of July so these are all guesstimates. You've pretty much outgrown your 6 month clothing and mostly wearing 6-9 months and 9 months. You also outgrew your FuzziBunz smalls, so that's why mom got the excuse to buy more cute cloth diapers!You've been eating solids like a champ and still like everything...well almost everything. This last month we tried black beans which you ate but with a disgusted look on your face. I mixed it with sweet potatoes the next time, and you liked that a lot better! We've added mangos and carrots to this mix as well. Next up: broccoli and cauliflower. You also had your first finger food: Puffs by Plum Organics. You find it so amusing that you can put these little puffs in your mouth...you always giggle about it. It's so funny to see you actually trying to chew something!

You were so thoughtful this Father's Day by making a DVD of pictures of you....he loved it as well as the golf items you picked up for him. Man you sure are a smart little guy!You also played with your pal Ethan for the third time. You guys are going to be trouble when you get bigger!I can't wait for our vacation over the 4th and for you to go hiking with us. I'm sure when you are older you'll be begging your daddy to go camping.

Speaking of Daddy again you also wished him a happy birthday!Happy 8 months little Nolan...slow down will ya! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Let's Do This

Ok, ok I know everyone has seen those corny 5-Hour Energy commericals with that famous phrase. It always seems so awkward when they use that line. Anyhow, I just wanted to start this week on the right foot my mentioned some things I am excited about:

1) I am super excited about received some new cloth diapers from Kelly's Closet. If you purchase $39 worth you get a free cloth diaper! That's a huge deal. Does it make me a nerd now that I get excited about something like diapers? Ah well...they are so fun and in such bright colors!

2) We are going on a mini-vacay of the 4th of July! I love to travel, but since we've had the little one this has been on hold. However, we are getting back in the groove by visiting a little town that will have hikes in the mountains (my husband loves hiking and camping), 4th of July festivities such as a parade and fireworks, and some golf rounds. This is also a trip to celebrate my husband's birthday...which is tomorrow! Best of all, my in-laws are going so I might, just might have some alone time with the husband. What...that's unheard of these days!

3) I had a coupon to spend $10 at JCPenney and $10 Kohl's cash to spend yesterday, and I scored some super cute outfits for the baby boy. I couldn't help myself in buying a few 4th of July outfits that he'll be able to sport when we got on vacay!

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day and hope you get a good start to your week!

(Laid back relaxin' and trying to take his diaper off...that's just how Nolan does it...gangsta style!)

So Fresh and So Clean

And the Winner Is...

Ok so I know I'm a little behind on this, but in the last few weeks I've had the honor from some of my fellow bloggers to receive some awards! I know, I know...it's hard to believe but they do actually read this blog! The first award I received is:
Rach at Life With Baby Donut bestowed me with this wonderful award. If you haven't checked out her blog...well you are sooo missing out and you should head on over there. She's got a great sense of humor, and I love reading her adventures with her little girl that she lovingly calls "Baby Donut."

The next award I received is:
This lovely award was given to me from mom2kiddos at Kiddothings. She is the mother to two adorable kids and when she's not taking care of them she's taking care of her blogging addiction...by what better way than blogging of course! Go check her out to follow along on her motherhood journey.

The last award I received is:

Amanda over at Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures honored me with this fun award. Amanda is a girl that has a love of food and shares this on her blog whether by her tasty recipes or by sharing her favorite must visit food establishments. She also just ran a 10k in NYC...so run over to her blog and check her out!

The first awards require to list some facts about myself and to pass on the award to more bloggers. Well since most of the people I follow actually have received these awards so I'll just list the facts on these two! (Ok call me lazy if you want!)

1) I grew up in a very, very small town that did not even have a stoplight for the longest time. Yes they do have one now...watch out this town is going big time!

2) I hate pickles. I always order a burger without pickles. I thought it was just a childhood issue, so I gave pickles another shot. I tried them again as an adult, and I still dislike them!

3) I love Coke! No not the drug, but good ole Coca-Cola! I do not drink it diet or zero...it has to be the full blown calorie Coke. Nothing like that burn in your throat from the first sip...hey you know what I am talking about!

4) I used to play volleyball in high school. I didn't pick it up until my last two years, but I absolutely love the game. I don't play now due to the fact that it's just hard to participate in team sports as you get older. I did get to play it in college for an intramural team (ha ha I'm so not good enough to play in college!)

5) I hate having stuff that I don't use. It drives me crazy. I look at this item and think when was the last time I used this...and if it has been awhile I will trash it. This obsession has gotten me in trouble with the hubs a couple of times because I do get a little carried away and throw something important out.

6) One of my favorite books I have read has to be "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. I love a good versus evil theme.

7) I so do not have cute handwriting. I have always disliked it and always wished I had that cute cheerleading handwriting. You know that cute bubbly handwriting on the posters at the pep rallies.

Well there you have it, my fun facts about myself. Now the last award I received calls for me to share the award with 4 of my favorite bloggers that have less than 300 followers. Here are the fabulous blogs that I Heart:

1) Three in the Nest: Kristen is the mother of 3 beautiful children...I mean they are too cute for words! I enjoy reading about their cute family and all of their adventures. If Kristen lived closer, we would so be IRL friends!

2) Casa De Celli: Heather is a new mommy to handsome little Colt. She always seems to have a great outlook on life and I always enjoy looking at her lovely pics and reading about her new journey through motherhood.

3) Our Life Unedited: Kimberlee always has an awesome blog with beautiful pictures...I always love how she arranges and edits her photos for her posts. I so wish I could be creative like her...but I digress as I have mentioned I am challenged in the domestic/creativity department. Her kiddos always give her plenty of opportunities to take their picture while jumping in the air!

4) Living Life and Loving It: Tatiana is hilarious! She has a fun and sarcastic sense of humor that really comes out in her blog. Not to mention, she is a new mommy to the cutest blue-eyed girl name Giada. She also has a great designed blog and her pics are always fabulous!

So there you have it...go check out these blogs because I know you will enjoy them like I do. Now I've gotta go because Nolan just let out the "grunt" and we all knows that means!

Happy Thursday everyone!

It's Getting Messy Round Here

****WARNING THIS POST MENTIONS BABY POOP****
As I was changing my baby boy's diaper, he let out the grunt. You know the poop grunt. It's like his little alarm for me to know, "Hey mom I'm now sitting in my own poop over here come change me!" Well at this point he is diaperless, and I'm like holy crap (no pun intended) what am I going to do...he's about to poop in my hand or the rug. So I quickly stick the clean diaper underneath him, and I literally watched him play-by-play poop on the diaper. I felt like I was watching one of my dogs doing the deed...it was so freakin' weird! I almost thought I was violating his privacy and that I needed to look away or snap the diaper up. Maybe I should have given him a newspaper to read or something?

Also what is up with the smell of baby pee becoming so stinky once they start solids? Those cloth diapers in the morning are screaming, "Help me, help me!" Not to mention Nolan is like the heaviest wetter ever. I will share my nighttime cloth diaper system that prevents any leaks for the heavy wetter. I use the bumGenius 4.0 with the big insert that comes with it, and then I stick an indian prefold behind it. That diaper has to way about 5 lbs in the morning because it's holding so much pee! But hey no leaks...which means I don't have to change the crib sheet a million times.

Sorry to bombard you with baby poop first thing in the morning...hope you've had your coffee already. :)

Just Say It

Has anyone else noticed how a lot of people out there are really REALLY passive aggressive? I don't know if it has to do with the fear of confrontation or that it's just the cool way to act, but as I have gotten older/wiser I'm just over it. I used to see it all the time at the good ole finance place I used to work because most of the time my office was staffed with females. GASP...I know I'm throwing my own kind under the bus, but I must say most of my interaction with passive aggressiveness experiences happened to be with females. You know the silent treatment...or the slamming a door...throwing papers down...the furious texting...all types of being passive aggressive. I am definitely not one that jumps at having a conflict, but I do not run from it either. I more or less pick my battles and if it really bothers me I will let you know so we can resolve the issue. I just hate having that tension in the air for something petty. I guess with my life changing so much with having a baby I really don't want to waste or spend my time with people who act like that because I feel life is too short to always be worried where I stand with that person. Quality over quantity, right? So what do you think...is it the fear of confrontation or is it just much easier to make snide comments under your breath?

Rockin' the Bump...2010

This morning I am linking up with Shell at Things I Can't Say for Rockin' the Bump. All you have to do is show a picture of you sporting your baby bump.

Here I am in Siesta Key, FL for a last vacay before baby:
And here I am at my baby shower about a month before the baby is due. Looks like my bump was pretty high and big at this point!And last but not least, the day I was admitted to the hospital because my darn water broke while I was at my doctor's appointment: Now it's your turn, go visit Shell's page and link up!