50 free Holiday cards for my fellow bloggers from Shutterfly!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week, which means Christmas is just right around the corner!! This year has flown by!...But that also means I need to get on the ball with ordering my Christmas cards to get them sent out.

I'm a sucker for a great deal, which means I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get 50 cards for free, that's a lot of money saved, and I love saving money :) Shutterfly has some super cute cards to choose from this year, so you should definitely head on over to Shutterfly.com and check them out! There is a wide variety of traditional as well as unique cards to choose from, I'm liking the funky, bright ones this year :)

I'm always very pleased with the products that I've purchased from them, and always receive them in a very timely manner. Last year the picture calendar we gave Meme for Christmas came from there, and it was super easy and quick to make, and she loved the simple AND affordable gift.

To have a little looksie at the holiday cards, click on over to this http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

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If you have any parties coming up and need a cute invite, check these out http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

And by the way..in case you didn't catch it before: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

11 down, 1 to go....

11 months!

Can't believe my sweet, handsome baby boy is 11 months old today! It doesn't seem right that in only one month I will have a toddler. Before you have kids of your own you always here people say how quickly time passes by once you have them...they are SO right!! He amazes me each and every day. Ted and I were blessed with the happiest baby I've ever met in my life, and I've met lots of babies!! He has a smile for every single person he meets or that even just glances his way. There has never been a time that we have left the house and not had a stranger come and tell us how sweet and inviting his smile is. He loves attention and will do anything to get it. He is a little busy body, and keeps us on our toes constantly, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

He's finally packing on the pounds and thinks he has to eat everything in sight! He wants everything we eat and is not a picky eater. He even likes onions, by themselves! I'm sad to see him getting older, but so glad he's getting to where he will soon not have to be on that nasty Nutramigen formula he has had to be on this whole time because of a milk allergy, which is pretty much gone we think! He just couldn't gain much weight on that stuff, but he's packin on the pounds now. For now he's a lil shorty like his mama, but hopefully he will eventually get his daddies height, because being as short as me won't be fun for him! :)

HIS FAVORITE THINGS:

• Bath time - he LOVES the water, can't wait till his next swim lessons in a couple of months because he has a blast!
• Giving kisses (especially to his mama :) But loves giving them to Dada and his doggies too!
• Clapping, anytime you say YAAAY he's sure to be clapping those hands and grinnin ear to ear!
• Books - he loves books! He will sit and look through his books for the longest, and of course loves to take all of our books off of our bookshelf in the living room and look through them too, and make a huge mess for mama to clean 78927 times a day :)

He loves talking, and tries to say everything we say. He does a pretty dang good job repeating words we say to him to be so young.

He's standing alone without holding onto anything for longer and longer each time he does it, and walking so good pushing his walking toy! He'll be a walking machine before we know it.

He's got his 2 teeth on the bottom, one finally peeking through on top and 2 more on top getting ready!

We will be having his first birthday party in Texas on the 11th, which is the weekend before his actual birthday, but Ted has duty weekend on the 19th so he has to be here in Florida in case he has to work. We will get to Texas late on Friday the 3rd and be there through the 12th.

The VERY long awaited surgery approval/dates have finally been established and I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to have some relief and finally be able to shop like a normal person and not spend hours just trying to find a cute shirt that will fit my boobs and not fit anywhere else! AHHHH CAN'T WAIT! Never been able to do that, since I hit puberty forever ago these puppies have been huge...Sept. 24th is the big day!

9 months already!?!

Gage turned 9 months old on the 19th, and it sure doesn't seem like he should already be that old!! He is doing great, learning new things everyday and growing like a weed. He is the happiest little guy ever! There isn't a day that goes by that we don't have a stranger tell us these exact words... "that sure is a happy baby you got there". Everywhere we go someone is sure to tell us. We go to the doctor today for his 9 month check-up so I'm curious to see how much he has grown. To us, he seems to be average in size, but anytime someone asks how old he is and we tell them they seem so surprised and we often get "wow, he's gonna be a football player"...Which I think is crazy because he may be a little tall but he's not fat or chunky at all! He never stops moving so I don't think it's possible for him to get chunky, although he eats ALL the time and thinks he needs to eat everything we eat. I think it's his head full of crazy hair that may throw people off and make him look older then he is. He's all over the place, pulling up, but not taking any steps yet. Nothing seems to scare him so far. He LOOOOVES dogs, being hung upside down and swimming! We are signing him up for swim lessons and he will hopefully start in July. He's a little fish and people just laugh at him when we are in the pool and of course he just eats it up. He loves to get everyone's attention and he just recently started doing this head to the side on his shoulders and grin like he's shy, but he there isn't a shy bone in the boys body. He wants everyone and anyone to talk to him. Within the past few days he's started this wanting to be held all the time phase and it started once Ted got home from Scotland, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. I will try to get a picture blog posted tonight, but for now I have a little guy screaming and pulling at my feet!

24

Well, the birthday has come and gone and I don't feel a change at all! ...Ha ...not that you ever feel a change other then the big 16 and 21. It was a wonderful day spent with my 2 favorite boys!! I also gotta pretty awesome birthday card in the mail filled with a nice little Benjamin Franklin in there to say hello! And the prettiest card from my amazing Meme! No really, I loved the card...she did a good job picking that one out!! And of course the one from my daddy made me giggle...and it also gave Ted a little giggle. I can't even begin to say how much I love my dad and how amazing he is. I know that no matter what ever happens in my life that my dad will be right by my side to make me smile and feel better. Love him!! :)

We also had our first cookout here Saturday. It was the first time we ever invited more then just a couple people over at once. I was so happy that so many people came! I wasn't expecting everyone to come out, plus some! We had a awesome day full of volleyball, Cajun/redneck horseshoes, some AWESOME grilled food by the hubby and my first margarita since before I got pregnant with Gage. Gage looooved all the attention, he eats it up! He gave little Hannah lots of slobbery kisses and he can't wait till her baby brother makes his appearance in August! His name will be Kadyn :) and we can't wait to meet him!! I was worried it was going to rain since the forecast had been calling for it all week but it turned out to be a beautiful day! I was a bad hostess and didn't take any pictures... If I didn't have Gage in my lap or on my hip, I was busy playing volleyball or something else. I promise to do much better next time!!

We spent Friday afternoon at the hospital on base, which is where all of my doctor's appointments are. I wasn't aware that I was having a million and one x-rays done so once we got there I was a lil suprised. Not that x-rays are any big deal, it just took FOREVER! They took a good 15 of them of my neck, shoulders and spine and I had to get in weird positions and hold these heavy weights...and the whole time I could here Gage out in the hallway yelling at people. It's his newest thing...He's realized if he yells people look at him and smile, so he does it all the time. Anyways, I won't get to see my x-rays until my appointment on the 11th, which will hopefully be the last time I have to go.

Have I mentioned how much I love Gage?? Because I can't say it enough. He is the apple of my eyes, the best little precious gift God could ever have given me. He is doing awesome at his new sleeping schedule. Now when we put him in his crib he knows that it's bed time and does SOOO GOOD!! He's a wild little sleeper though....which I have no doubt he gets from me. I wish I had a dollar for every time I would go to sleep with my head on my pillow growing up and I would wake up with my head at my foot board in some of the most retarded position. And I would also talk in my sleep. And I'm pretty sure I remember slapping my cousin Whitney once when I was little and stayed the night with her. Gage is no different, every time I go in there he is in a different spot in the bed, turned all kinds of ways, and he just giggles so much in his sleep. I love it! We had to take his sleep positioner out of his crib bc he would just roll over it and sleep with his back bent and awkward. Also now anytime I let him sleep on the couch with my during the day he flips and flops like a crazy person. Ted is good at staying in certain spot while he sleeps but boy does he do some crazy funny stuff! I get a good laugh just about every night from the stuff that comes outta his mouth. He also gets up and does stuff that makes NO sense and then gets back in bed and will argue that he knows what he's doing when I laugh at him. But then owns up to it the next morning that he had no idea. I love it! :) ..Gage has also been cursed with the rapid hair and nail growth like me. I can't keep my hair short for nothing, within a week it's grown so much...and I can cut my nails completely short and then next day I have to do it again. Every time I complain to someone about my hair growing so fast they say they wish they had that problem...but no you don't! Not unless you want to get your hair cut every 2 weeks! haha...But really my son has a mullet! Ha...and it's hangs all over his ears and in his face and it bugs me so much, but theres no way I could get it cut now. He's still too young! He's growing like a weed and NEVER stops eating! lol he had gotten to where he was to worried about moving around and figuring stuff out that he could care less to eat...and now he has decided that he is hungry every minute of the day! He also likes to say dada all day, and mumbles other crazy words...I heard quite a few byebye's today. Only time I hear mama anymore is when he is crying/whining. Oh well... we will get there soon enough! :)

Gage and I are really looking forward to our trip to Texas in July!! We really wish Ted could join us but duty calls! We can't wait to see everyone!! He's really hoping his Nana Kay & pawpaw come see him in June!!

This is Gagers & Amanda...his oldest girlfriend! He adores her :)

March for Babies

Ted, Gage and I will be walking in the March for Babies this November....

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this....

If you can spare to donate to this cause, any amount of money no matter how big or small goes a long way!! Or if you live here in Jax and would like to join our team to do the walk with us, just click on the join the team button, we would love to have company!! :) Click on the link below to donate, join or learn more!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1433055

Loves to all!!

Finger's Crossed....

...That Gage decides to stay asleep in his own bed tonight!! We aren't sure whats up with his sleeping habits lately but I am for sure not a fan! Hopefully it's either that he's going through a growth spurt or it's that he has become so much more active lately and his little brain is ticking 90 to nothin! He always get REALLY sleepy by 7:30 ish and we have always kinda patted him to sleep and it used to work, but now he fights it like crazy even though he is exhausted and once he is finally asleep he will sleep till maybe 11 and wakes up screaming like crazy and then he will go back down until around 2 am, but at that point he's in this restless sleep and the only thing we have been able to do is one of us sleep with him in our bed and kinda pat his little hiney through out the night... Well Ted has been working mids for a couple of weeks now so it's just me here to take care of gage through the night and I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is bc of my back...so once ted gets home in the mornings he needs to get his sleep so I've been feeling like I am functioning on about 2-3 hours a night at the most. But we are officially trying out the "ferber method" and letting him cry himself to sleep...so far so good...we don't let him go very long without going in to comfort him and it's working so....fingers crossed!

We finally feel like there is a light at the end of this retarted surgery tunnel! It feels like it has just been draggin on and we felt like we were getting no where with no real answers. But the insurance denied the surgery this first time because of the lack of evidence they had that I had back problems....which was completely my doctors(not surgeon) fault for only submitting that I had large breasts... I don't blame the insurance for denying it...so of course I was upset and we had come to realize there was no way we were going to be able to pay out of pocket for the surgery because it's $30,000+ ...WAY more then we can afford! So I was beginning to think it was going to be like 6-9 more months I would have to deal with my back...But luckily I have a new doctor who is one of my favorite new people! He's awesome!! Ted and I were both really happy when we left my appointment last Thursday... He has been working there since the 80's and has never been told no to a surgery...he called the insurance company and talked to them for awhile...we are now just waiting till May 6th to re-submit the info to get the surgery bc it has to be 90 days from the time the 1st one was filed... He is putting in every thing that could possibly be wrong with my back and he said theres no way they can say no...So now...we wait again...except we wait with confidence that it's going to finally get to happy... we figure I will get to have the surgery in June, so keep your fingers crossed on that too! :) I have to go to the doc every 2 weeks until the surgery to keep documenting everything.. Pretty sure I now have a pinched nerve in my lower back..it hurts SO bad and when I ask Ted to push on it really hard for me I can't even feel it bc it's numb on the outside...it's weird but should go away once all the muscles and everything get some rest.

I'm also trying to go back to school starting in August, but in order to do so I have to take the ACT the first week of June. I never took it back home bc I just took the college placement test...so now that I'm days away from being 24 I'm trying to study all this material that I do not remember one single bit! But I'm gonna do it! All the other times I went to school I had no motivation what-so-ever. I basically did it to please everyone else...so when I was there I wasn't trying bc I really didn't want to be there. But now I'm actually really excited and motivated. I think since I'm doing it for me and for the good of my family I will do a lot better!

I think I'm going to stop my birthday clock after this one because I don't really care to get old! 24 is my limit! :) Gage is doing great and I can't believe my baby boy is only a few days shy of 7 months! He is so so so funny and has become very attached to his mommy and daddy...but still loves everyone else, he just hates to not have all eyes on him when we are here at the house. I will post pictures of him soon, I promise. But for now I MUST try and get sleep while he is snoozing... I have a dentist appointment bright and early in the morning and this house is a WRECK so my guess is tomorrow will be a long day! :)

p.s...please ignore my spelling mistakes bc I do not feel like taking the time to use spell check...I would much rather close my eyes! Nighty night!

Homeless.

Okay so this post is just me rambling, so feel free not to feel obligated to read! :)

I don't want to sound like I was raised under a rock, in a perfect little town where no one is homeless because that obviously isn't the case. You frequently see homeless people on corners in Longview. Living here in Jacksonville it seems like everywhere you turn there are people holding signs or slowly moving down the sidewalk in their wheelchairs. I know no one likes to see these people, but all of these people pull at my fragile little heartstrings!! I always feel so obligated to help in someway although I don't ever really do anything. Of course I have always been told since I was itty bitty that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I have to agree. I'm sensitive! :)

I always think of myself as non-judgemental but then there are so many cases that I see these people and I want to give them money and then I think wait, why so they can go buy a cheap bottle of whiskey and drink their lives away.... But really who am I to judge? If I spare some of the change that I have piled up in the console of the car and they really do buy themselves some food, AWESOME....if they decide alcohol is what they need, at least I tried and I did what felt like I needed to right?

We went to the dog park downtown for the first time this week, and we were driving through downtown around 4 pm... it seemed like every other corner there was a HUGE line of homeless people waiting to get into the shelter and hopefully get a bite to eat. The first that popped into my head was the movie 'Pursuit of Happyness'. (yes happyness isn't the correct spelling, but that's how they spell it for the movie for a particular reason). I love this movie, it's a true story about a man and his son who struggle and become homeless, all while the dad is interning at a stock broker place to try and better himself, which eventually pays off. But they would rush to get in line everyday at 4 hoping for a safe place to sleep instead of a subway bathroom. It's sad, it really is because there are so many homeless that are good people who lost their way. They are all someones child, parent, siblings... But seeing all if them in line the other day made me really sad. I just kept thinking about what could have gone wrong that made them end up where they are... While we were at Ted's pre-deployment meeting last year there was a guy speaking and he was saying how the majority of homeless are veterans who suffered traumatic experiences in wars and what not and didn't get the treatment they needed to help overcome that, and ended up on the streets talking to worms in the dirt. There is a guy that lives in the woods a few miles from here that we see all the time, he is pretty old looking and he sits on the side of the road and digs in the dirt talking to himself. It's sad.... I hate seeing it. But every time we pass by I notice I look for him. Ted has decided that once he gets his new pair of work boots he is giving his old pair to someone homeless, maybe this guy. They are very sturdy boots that while last forever...they will do someone else more good then sitting in our closet.

Then there are those people that could care less about anyone other then their own selfish wants and don't care what they put their children through in the process. We were pulling into walmart the other day (which I HATE, by the way) and on the corner was a guy prolly late 20's-early 30's... he was kinda thuggish looking and posted up against a tree and standing in front of him is a BABY...no older then 2 years old holding a cardboard sign that said "homeless, anything helps"...BUT the A-hole of a guy was SMOKING! It made me so upset! I wanted to go crazy on the guy but of course around here I don't have the guts to do anything bc you never know who will pull a gun on you or something crazy. But really I felt so bad for this little boy... I'm pretty sure the cops did something about it though because they weren't there for long at all. I had hoped they were there when we were leaving so Ted and I could have at least given the little boy some food. How could you be so selfish...my kids are starving but all is well because I have my cigarettes... It really just makes me crazy!

more rambling..sorry :)

I was watchin True Life: I'm homeless on MTV the other day. There was a mother and daughter being evicted from their apartment. The daughter wasn't old enough to work and the mother couldn't work bc of health issues. They were both way overweight and it was for sure obvious they were just lazy. They are packing to get out of the apartment and I noticed a brand new laptop on the table and a could t.v. remote like ours. If you can't afford to pay rent and eat do you really think those things are something you need? NO! the show seemed like it was geared to make you feel sorry for them and I couldn't! I know it wasn't the daughters fault but when she turned 16 she said she could work but didn't want to! It makes me crazy to see all of these people that have babies every year and live off of the government because they can't afford food and rent but they dang sure have rims on their decked out car and the newest cell phone out! I for sure support the government helping those that are willing to help themselves and deserve it but I think there should be some better screening to get assistance instead of letting all of these people that think we owe them something keep taking advantage of us!

okay, sorry for all of the non sense... I will post a updating blog tomorrow! It's bedtime for this sleepy mommy!! :)

Warm Weather = LOVE!

Why do weekends go by so fast?? We had a wonderful weekend. I love relaxing around the house with my 2 favorite boys! Which is what we did Friday and Today (Sunday)! We took walks outside in the beautiful weather with the pups and we cleaned and we were LAZY! Saturday we spent the day with friends playing flag football and eatin yummy grilled food by the Clabeaux's! It was a great day and Gage LOVES all the attentions he gets from everyone! He eats it up! We are also going to start having weekly dates at the doggy park with the Clabeaux's and Riley's which the pups are going to LOVE!! I'm excited... I know I'm such a nerd but i love watching the dogs have fun.. Tonight we let them off of their leashes outside and of course Weezy headed right for the pond...go figure! He is such a water dog.

I'm LOVING my new sewing/embroidery/serger!! Friday night I made Gage the cutest Easter basket...the whole thing, name embroidered and all! I also made him a burp cloth as if he really needs anymore... But if anyone needs baby shower gifts let me know! :) I have tons of designs and prints and I looooove me some Joann Fabric! haha

Thursday we are taking Gage to the big Easter egg hunt on base which will be fuuuull of kids running around like crazy. Obviously he won't be hunting the eggs but he will still enjoy all the fun! I'm pretty excited about it.

We had so much fun with my dad and them while they were down!! Gage loved every single second of playing with Weston and Kayden...and being spoiled rotten by his Papa Gene!! We had a very busy few days with them, Zoo...Disney and the beach!! Gage ate some sand and layed out on his beach towel and slept in his papa's arms while we were at the beach... Ted and I played in the sand with the boys like I haven't done since I was younger...built some sand castles that didn't last long because they found it more fun to jump on them then build them. They flew their kites Ted and I bought them and I threw the frisbee with my dad and brother! :) It couldn't have been a more perfect day. I can't wait till they can make it back for another trip!!

Gage and I will be making a trip to Texas in July for Danin's bachlorette party which I am SO excited about!! And I've been needing a good excuse to get me some new cowboy boots!! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful work week and doesn't get the case of the Monday's too bad tomorrow!! :)

Busy little bee..

I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off! Theres always something that needs to be done. But I don't mind being busy most of the time. We have been getting the apt organized and cleaned GOOD. We are always cleaning but today we got some good, deep cleaning done. I will finish up with that tomorrow before the Family gets here from *TEXAS*. They plan on leaving around 4 in the morning, but my guess is it will be more like 5 or 6. I am so excited!!! I don't like being away from home anytime, but now that Gage is here I don't like it even more! But we have a wonderful life here, so I can't complain!

Gage is doing tons better, thank goodness! He is still a little congested but no cough or nastiness anymore. I hated seeing him hurt so bad when he would cough, especially when he would wake himself up doing it. I can't believe he will be 6 months old Friday. Poor baby has to get his 4 shots :( I hate that... all the other kids are terrified in the waiting room every time a screaming baby comes out of the room. He says mamamamama and da-da-da-da-da all day long, but I know he doesn't know what they mean yet and they are just syllables coming out of his mouth but I love hearing it! So sweet! He is a little talker and so funny! He knows how to get my attention and make me laugh, and soaks it right up. The boy doesn't know a stranger... This morning he and I were at the Vet's office to drop the pups off to get beautified and he started laughing at the groomer to get her attention and when she looked at him he reached for her. He is a mess!

We have a busy week with the family...They won't get here until around 7-9ish tomorrow night I'm sure. We are going to Disney World on Wednesday and maybe the beach on Thursday. That's what we have planned anyways, but of all weeks for us to get rain it would be this one! But fingers crossed it's just little showers and not storms!! Then Friday Gage has a doctors appointment so we will do that and then just hang around the house or do something here around Jax. I can't wait to see the boys at Disney... Weston is OBSESSED with Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story so he is going to go crazy when he see's him! I'm sure Kayden will just follow in Weston's footsteps and want to do everything he does. Weston has some birthday presents for him when he gets here since we missed his birthday...so of course we had to get Kayden a little bag of stuff too. He's only 2 and seeing as how there is no party I know he wont understand why Weston has gifts but he doesn't.... I love them and I know Gage is going to love them being here. He thinks kids are so funny.

I ordered my new sewing/embroidery/serge machine 2 nights ago and I am beyond excited for it to get here!!! I have a list of projects to make!! I'm such a nerd.... The fabric store makes me so happy....it's pretty ridiculous! :)

Surgery Update :: They had said we would know something by this past Friday. Well we called Tricare on Friday to find out and they told us it was still pending because they needed a little bit more information from my doctor and he needed to mail it. My doctor told them he preferred to speak with them over the phone instead and to contact him. Well they did and he was busy with a surgery or something. So I will call back tomorrow to see if they have anything decided yet. I just want a date for surgery. All I need to hear from them is YES or NO. We are doing the surgery regardless and I am just so ready to get the show on the road!

I am so glad it is starting to warm up! It needs to get a little warmer though, Gage has clothes in his closet with tags still on them that he isn't going to get to wear if it doesn't warm up faster!! And they are too cute not to be worn! :) I'm looking forward to going shopping after surgery. Shopping has always been a huge issue with me. I hate that my chest never fits in anything! uggh! But that will soon pass. Over Christmas we went to the Buckle and bought me some new jeans since all of my old ones were falling off of me... Now these new ones don't fit either! Makes me soooo mad! Those things are not cheap! I'm not one to spend a whole lot on jeans but it seems like I kinda have to, to get them to fit right. What a waste of money!! But I'm happy they don't fit too :) I am currently 25 lbs less then I was before I got pregnant! woo hoo.

Germs

Our little munchkin is sick for the first time and I am hating it!!!!!! He has an upper respiratory infection and he is miserable! Poor baby is congested and coughing and can't breathe out of his nose which makes him SO mad because that means no paci....and let me tell you, the child LOVES his paci's! But he still manages to smile and laugh and play with the doggies and babble mamamamama da-da-da-da-da all day! I love hearing it even if he has no idea what he's saying! lol ..It just doesn't seem like he will be 6 months old on the 19th :(

So many people seem to be sick, and it really grosses me out to think about all the germs floating around everywhere. I didn't ever used to think about that, but now it's on my mind everytime I touch something...weird! I have been following this blog ( http://laylagrace.org/ )for awhile now. The entire blog will make you smile, giggle, and bawl your eyes out. Atleast I always do. Sweet Layla Grace lost her battle with cancer early yesterday morning :(. After seeing the message that she had passed, I cried and had to go hug and kiss my sweet baby boy. Life is so precious and can be taken away in the blink of an eye. She touched so many lives in her short time on Earth! May God bless her parents and sisters. I can't even begin to imagine the loss of a child! ... I love this little quote, which will be what I paint on my next canvas.. "Be a best friend - tell the truth - overuse 'I love you' - go to work - do your best - don't outsmart your common sense - never let your praying knees get lazy - and LOVE LIKE CRAZY"

My family will be here in 5 days!!!! I am so excited! I have missed my daddy and nephews so, so , so SO much these last 3 months and I know Gage is going to LOVE having the boys here. He thinks other babies/kids are the funniest. He just laughs and 'talks' to them regardless who they are. We will be making a trip to Texas in July, August and September and then of course at Christmas. I can't wait to get back home and see everyone! We are really missing Texas lately...but of course, who couldn't! :)

I should know a decision on surgery by Friday...woooo hooooo!! Lately I feel SO exhausted. Sleep comes very rare for me these days. I can't ever get comfortable at night, I toss and turn and ache and get mad all through the night, and then by the time 7 rolls around Gagers is up and ready to play..Only for a couple of hours usually, by 9 he is pooped and takes a 2 hour nap! Hope everyone has a wonderful, fun-filled, SUNNY weekend ...even though tomorrow is only Thursday :)

Memories..

So of course I have to start off with a BIG congrats to my cousin Danin on her engagement!! I wasn't blessed with a sister, but I can say I was blessed with the closest thing to one..and that would be my amazing cousins ::Danin, Devin, Whitney & Sterling. They are all so wonderful and beautiful inside and out, and I couldn't be more thankful to have them all in my life. Danin, as I have said a million times I am so happy for you and Eric. Ya'll will be a beautiful family and have precious little munchkins running around one day!! You so deserve to be so happy! Wish we lived closer so I could be there for all of your wedding planning, and dress searching! :) You will make a beautiful bride and I am so excited for the wedding!! :) Love you!

Gage has become a wild man in the last week! I don't know what has gotten into him, but he can go through some crazy little hyper spells...like at 4:30 this morning. I was so sleepy but couldn't help but laugh at him for an entire hour. It won't be long till he will be all over the place! He isn't crawling but he is trying so hard...he gets so mad when his knees won't stay under him. But he is able to scoot slowly but surely to whatever it is he is trying to get to. I can't believe he will be 6 months old this month. Ugh, time flies way to fast!

All of wisdom teeth are gone and I'm all healed up! Thank goodness to get that all over with. Went to the plastic surgeon Tuesday of last week. They had to send pictures and measurements into the insurance company and it will be 4-6 weeks before they hear back from them. There is also a chance that the insurance company will still deny it even with 2 doctors approval. Which is really aggravating to hear. But we have decided that I am getting the surgery done regardless of what the insurance company decides. We will pay if thats what it takes, because there is no possible way for me to deal with this for much longer. Waking up all hours of the night to get in a hot bath is exhausting! Dr. Ong (my doc) told me not to expect all of my back problems to go away, because that isn't going to happen, but it will at least get better.

Well it's been 8 years today, since we lost my momma. But I still miss her like it was yesterday! Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and talk about her to Gage. Theres no denying where I got my love of kids from, she loved them all and would have been head over heels for her grand babies! She would have been the best "Nunna" ever! But I'm not sad today, for so many years this was a hard day for me but it isn't anymore. I just think about how wonderful she was and all the good memories we shared as mother and daughter :)

We really miss everyone back home and are so ready to get back for a visit. We are so ready for my dad and them to get here, 2 weeks... I can't wait!

our PRETTY boy!! :)

Weekend Recap..

I can't believe Gage will be FIVE months old tomorrow!! Hims getting WAY to big! He has finally learned what to do in the jumperoo...JUMP! but he isn't all that great at it yet, but he is getting there! He is on a crazy little sleep schedule at night now...has been for a few weeks.. we don't know what his deal is but we are thinking maybe a growth spurt! He had a photo shoot done this weekend. We should get the pictures back next week sometime and I cannot wait!! They were sooooo good! And I'm in love with the outfit he had on in them! The photographer is one of my new faves! She was so nice and takes amazing pictures! She is from Russia and I love the accent! :) She may also be doing our family pictures in a couple of months. I'm having my last 2 wisdom teeth removed today at 10:30, but I'm happy I atleast don't have to be awake for these! This weekend is supposed to be 70 and SUNNY so depending on how well I feel Ted, Gage and I are going to this awesome place to take some pictures of Ted and Gage. If ours don't turn out very good then the photographer is going to take us there to take some. I can't tell you where they will be, you have to wait and see. But I am in love with this place when it comes to pictures!!!!! :) I go to the surgeon for the reduction on Tuesday, so fingers crossed that I have a set date SOON!! .... Only 3 weeks till my daddy, brother, sis-n-law and nephews get here and I am so super excited to see them all!!

I had these beautiful flowers delivered to the front door on Valentines day!! I have never been a roses kinda girl, and thankfully I have a sweet hubby that knows that I love Lillies of any kind!! Then we went to Toys-R-Us and bought Gage some toys because all of the fisher price toys were buy one get another free and then we bought Rummikub for Ted and I to play. I love that game! My cousin Whitney and I used to play it all the time. So far I'm beating Ted...which is really suprising, but he's getting better...Darn it! Below are just a couple of pictures of the little doodle bug. The bottom 2 are pics that I took the other day while in St. Augustine...I wish we would have remembered to roll his pants back down! haha Oh well!

and the verdict is...

So I went to my doctors appointment today. This was a new doctor by the way... My first doctor I went to when we got home from Texas was a doctor off base because Tricare(our insurance) had called and said that the base was too full so I would be going to one off base. So I did and he had me set up with an appointment to see a plastic surgeon. Well then we were informed that he was not going to be my doctor that I was put on base anyways and that the appointment with that plastic surgeon was a no go. I wasn't happy about that one bit BUT I like this doctor WAY better and he actually took some time and looked at my back and neck a lot. It's really uncomfortable for me to go to a new doctor, a male doctor especially and explain and talk to them about my boobs. So I was so thankful that Ted got off work early and was able to go with me! It may sound a little weird but having him in the room puts me at ease a little. I'm just really self conscious about my chest I guess. Good news though, this doctor said I do indeed have an issue going on with my back. I had TWO ribs out of place! He popped them back in place, which was very uncomfortable and is very sore now. The muscles in my back are so strained from the weight of my chest that they are pushing my ribs out of place....which is most likely the reason I wake up in horrible pain several times a night and have to get in a really hot bath to make it feel somewhat better... anyways he put me in the system to see a surgeon, so I will be getting a call sometime later in the week this next week to go see him... I am SOOO very happy about it!! It is a pretty intense surgery, and I will have to stay at the hospital a couple of nights, and I know the following weeks/months are going to be tough but I will be SOO thankful when it is all over with. It is going to kill me not being able to pick up my little munchkin man for awhile though! :( But Ted's work is really good about giving him the time off that he needs and they already know that I am going to be having the surgery, so Gage will be getting lots of daddy time!!

I also have to go to an oral surgeon to get my other wisdom teeth taken out. I went to the dentist Thursday and they did x-rays...I was thinking I was going to have to get 3 taken out because I have only had one removed, but they said I don't even have a 4th one...some people don't get wisdom teeth at all....lucky them! I'm hoping this time goes better then last because dry sockets was not fun at all... That was one of the worst pains ever!!.. But no cavities! I thought I had one, so I was excited when he told me I didn't....only having one cavity at almost 24 isn't too bad!

Gage is great, he is a little goofball! People are constantly telling me to enter him in a baby contest because of the big ole goofy smile he gives you when you look at him... He's in the stage where he is very into his feet, holding them..eating them..starring at them. And he's doing this thing where when you try and hold him in your lap, he starts trying to slide down and starts doing back bends and all these crazy little squirmy motions...and he smiles real big the whole time so you can't help but laugh at him...which he also loves. He thrives on attention..we will be in the car and he will sit and stare at me and make noises until i turn to look and as soon as I do he smiles and once I turn back around he starts again.....This is of course when Ted is with us and driving, just so ya'll don't think I'm a bad driver...which Jacksonville has WAY to many of. Put the cell phone and food down and pay attention to the ROAD! I really hate seeing people on their phones and driving.

Ted is also doing great! I love him!! :) He's the best ever! ..He's asleep right now..it's his duty weekend which means he has to work, so he has to leave the house at 3:30 in the mornin...but at least he doesn't have to be there all day...at least not yet. He is such a wonderful daddy..not that I had any doubt that he would be, but he surprises me with how well he does with him all the time!

November is lung cancer awareness month and on the 6th there is a 5k run/walk marathon called Free to Breathe...They have them all over the country. I am hoping to get a team together to participate. Ted is going to talk to people at work and try and get people to join us also. It is free to be a part of it. It's a lot like the Susan G. Komen breast cancer race. On Feb. 10th I will be able to register and then whoever decides to join us will be able to sign up on my name. We will have a page online for people to donate to. I'm hoping I can get a few people to donate. It doesn't have to be alot because we all know that a little in these cases can go a long way. And I know times are tough for pretty much everyone these days but I am doing it because it is something I have strong feelings towards. I want to do whatever I can to keep other children/parents/grandparents/brothers/sisters/friends from loosing a loved one to this disease! When you get to the race they have a sign that says "I am running in memory of _____" that you fill out and pin to the back of your shirt. So of course Ted, Gage and I will have my mothers name on there, but we will also be putting my Aunt Vicki's mother on there. Two very loved and missed women! We are also running for Ted's Meme who is a Survivor! I'm hoping to get this surgery done early so I can actually run the race instead of walk! We plan on doing as many races we can this year... So to any of you Jacksonvillers out there, PLEASE feel free to join us!! The more the merrier!

Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe weekend! And although I have no dog in the fight... I'm rootin for the underdog.... GO SAINTS!!!!!

the cutest nerdy laugh ever! :)

Getting settled..

Well Disney World was great! It is really an amazing place and we can't wait to take Gage back when he is old enough to remember it! He had a good time anyways though, so many colors characters for him to enjoy! We were glad to get back home by the time the week there was over. A week of Disney is PLENTY!

We are finally settled and unpacked completely... We are on a pretty good, normal schedule now. I still feel like the weeks revolve around appointments though. This week I go to the dentist Thursday and then Friday I have an appt with my regular doctor. Fingers crossed that I get to go to the plastic surgeon SOON!! Get these boobies chopped off!!! haha :) no really I can't wait! I will feel a million times better...and of course I will be SO excited to buy clothes that fit me rather then my boobs!! Gage had a good report at his 4 month well-check... He is growing like a weed and one healthy little monster! He feeds himself now which makes me excited and sad all at the same time. He's growing to fast!

I can't believe it's already February! My brother turns 27 on the 7th! and my mommy's birthday would be on the 9th..I sure miss her lately! Before we know it March is going to be here which means my dad,brother, kim and the boys will be here! I can't wait..I miss them so much!! And then the lovely month of April which means I have to turn 24 :( Time flies, especially when you have a little munchkin that you want to keep little forever!!

So I have been telling everyone that I talk to that I will get some pictures of the apartment posted...but all you get for now is Gage's room. His is the only one that seems to stay clean longer then a day! We thought about painting the walls and then painting them back before we move ..whenever that may be, but then decided we didn't want to go through that hassle. They won't let us paint though since these apartments aren't even a year old yet...but oh well no biggie! So it's a little bare still but I'm always buying or making something for his room. I have always loved being crafty/doodling type stuff. Having Gage gives me a reason to make things!! So far I have made these puffy things that you hang on the ceiling, a mobile and a growth chart...which is my favorite! But I have lots of things planned to make. I am also getting a sewing/embroidery machine later this month. I am super duper excited about that too! I love anything monogrammed and theres always things I want to make sewing wise, but the one we have now was REALLY cheap and just doesn't work right. But now I can make all sorts of things! I don't have to buy baby shower gifts anymore, I'll just make them! haha All mommies with little girls love bows and bloomers and things! But anyways heres a few pictures...

Holding his own bottle!

Cutest little mickey mouse EVER!

On the boardwalk where we stayed at Disney.

Such a little ham!

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Gage and his daddy reading Dr. Seuss books..which he LOVES!

Little man

sweet feet :)

loves swingin!

Growth chart I made..this pic doesn't do it ANY justice

Little things I made that are hanging in the corner. They look really good in person! He loves to watch them..

part of his room...

Another part...

mobile I made... all the circles spin and it has a G in the middle

his bathroom...it looks pink in this pic but it's blues, reds, yellow and orange...