13 months

Casey's birthday has come and gone, and December is flying by. Casey is now 13 months old! He has mastered the whole walking/running thing...and is working hard on being verbal! He has been saying mama,dada, baba for a long time....but he doesnt use them in association with anything, so we are working on that! The first thing he has said with meaning, is Uh-Oh, although he pronounces it "uh-uh". He says this when he drops/throws something. He even uses the right tone! He is starting to say d-d-d-d-d when he sees his doggies. He says Eh? with the inquisitory tone when he wants you to pay attention to something. Last night, we babysat a friends little girl, who is 3. When she stopped paying attention to Casey, boy did he get vocal! He stood next to her and yelled "Eh?! Eh?!" over and over.....as in "Adeline, play with me!!"

Just now, I had to get up and find Casey, because he tore down the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and went up. He thought it was hilarious when I found him, and promptly ran away, looking back to make sure I was chasing him. He loves to chase and to be chased! Casey also really likes pretending games. He will pretend to be asleep and then wake up, he loves peek a boo, he loves to give you his pacifier and then take it back. He likes the round laundry basket, he puts it on his head and walks around. He likes to try and put on hats, if you hand him one he knows where it goes. Same with socks, when he sees them, he hands you a foot, then the other.

Casey is now giving hugs, and loves on his own. He also gives kisses, with his mouth open and tongue out! While he is as busy as ever, he will come over and hug you, and go back to playing, he also hugs your legs. Last night, he went up and gave Adeline a big hug. So cute....talk about melting your heart! He also gets so excited when he sees Mom or Dad, when we come home from work. He smiles and laughs and wants you to pick him up and smother him with love.

It's amazing how quick he learns, and how everything is so fun and exciting for him. He learned to give high five, and is so proud of himself when he does it. He just thinks it is the funniest thing. He loves the wii fit board, and will stand on it forever. We are very glad he ignores the TV when it is on, he is too busy playing, going from one activity to another. The American Pediatric Association recommends no TV time, computer or video game time til at least 2, so we never put shows on for him, and never try to get him to watch. Luckily, this is easy, as he is just not interested anyways.

Casey starts in January at a full day preschool. He is going to love it, and will get lots of exposure to learning on the days he is there. He only goes about 2 days a week, and is home with Daddy the rest of the days. He loves the daycare at our gym, and has learned they give snacks....when we put him in there, he will go stand next to the high chair!

Today is Christmas Eve, we are waiting for Daddy to wake up! He works all weekend, but we celebrate when he is home. We make it work for us:) We are glad Ryan has a job he enjoys, and take the hours and shifts as they fall. It just happened to fall on Christmas the last 2 years. Casey isnt old enough to notice of course.

We celebrated Christmas with my family last weekend, where Casey got to play with all his cousins. They are so funny together. We were very spoiled with fabulous prime rib, made by my Dad....along with more appetizers, food and dessert than you can imagine. YUM! We got lots of fun gifts, and went to Zoo Lights with Matt, Kelly and Caleb. We took more photos with Santa at the WSU Cougar reception there!

Merry Christmas everyone! We are off to celebrate and spend time together as a family:) I love this little family I have been blessed with! And the HUGE extended family we have!

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Casey is ONE!!

Well, somehow Casey made it to one. A year ago, it seemed so far off and here it is. Everyone says they grow up so fast. It's true. Everyday is something new, something exciting and something fun. Definitely a learning experience. When I took Casey in for his one year check up, the nurse, Cindy, told me that she loved to see Ryan and I's enthusiam for being parents, how excited we are over everything Casey does, and how interested we are. That made me smile. Casey is still a happy go lucky kid. He laughs at everything. Smiles at everyone. Flirts with the ladies. Squeals all the time. Shrieks at his dogs, chases his Dad, He and Daddy try to sneak up on Mommy, but Casey gives it away everytime with giggles. He is fearless and bold. He tries everything with reckless abandon, and shakes off injuries. He is tough. He loves trucks and toys that make noise. The higher the swing the better. The higher Daddy throws him, the louder he laughs. He likes to play in mud puddles and splash in puddles and crawl in wet grass. He plays hard...go go go, and naps hard. He still takes 2-3 good naps during the day, but when he awake, he is always on the move. He goes to bed at 8, and is up at 6:30-7am.

We had an open house for Casey's birthday, from 3-7 at our house. There isn't much 1 year olds can do, and they don't get the concept...so we figured people could drop by and say hello and celebrate if they could. Casey wasn't interested in heping open gifts...he was interested in ripping paper, boxes, playing in the mess...like any 1 year old. And who am I to force him to sit down and open his gifts, so I did most of it for him. I did manage to get one picture!

Casey loves Mya, his girlfriend. Look at that silly, giddy grin. The sugar high may have had something to do with it as well.

CAKE!!! He demolished his cake. I couldn't believe how much cake Casey ate! He just kept eating and eating and eating.....

Happy Birthday Casey! At his one year check up, Casey weighed 23.5 pounds (68%) and was 31.5 inches long (97%). So, he continues to be huge:) He is already quite the athlete, and appears to be left handed! Daddy can't wait to teach him some sports. As busy as he is, he is going to need to play a lot of sports to stay out of trouble.

Turkey Trot 2010

We were pretty excited to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning this year, except for one thing: SNOW! The Turkey Trot is the Benton-Franklin Red Cross's Annual Fundraiser, and I was sad maybe they wouldn't have a good turn out this year, because seriously, who wants to run in the snow? Turns out, everyone does! This was the biggest turn out ever, with 3300 people! It was 14 degrees and snowing. We dressed in underarmour and as many layers as possible. Ryan reminded me the last time I wore his underarmour it was cut off me in the emergency room. While I promised this would not happen again, I was not entirely convinced, because we were planning on running/walking on snow and ice. Alright, there was really no running involved, because of 1) the snow and ice 2) the 24 pound baby strapped to my chest decked out in a snowsuit and 3) the pulled muscle in my left calf.We saw some pretty amazing things at the Turkey Trot. Let me highlight some of my favorites. I would like to reiterate that it was 14 degrees and snowing, quite heavily at times.

*A man who ran the entire race in teeny tiny running shorts and nothing else (At the end Ryan ran after this man like the paparazzi trying to take his picture)

*Men running with no shirts

*Multiple people running with short shorts

*A guy with running shoes that looked like socks with toes

*A man with spandex that were neon pink and flowered.

*Lots of people with turkey hats (like literally looked like cooked turkeys on their heads), turkey feathers and boas, turkey beanies. One entire family had bright neon orange matching hunting hats....a good way to not lose a kid.

*Gumby was running the race.

We had a great time. Casey stayed super warm with his multiple layers, snowsuit, and snuggled in his Mai Tai wrap. We shared body heat! I think he may have the warmest person there. I don't think it has ever snowed over here this early and stuck around. Feels more like Christmas than Thanksgiving!

Tis the season to make your Christmas cards!!

I love Christmas! And it just so happens to be on its way! I love sending Christmas cards, and love receiving them. My favorite to receive are photo cards...I scrapbook all the ones we get in the mail.

In the past few years, I have gotten engaged, married and had a baby, and so have many of my friends and family members!....so I have designed many, many, invitations to showers, and many thank you cards...along with Christmas cards.

My *favorite* site to make Christmas cards is Shutterfly. I just recently made Halloween cards from shutterfly, with my favorite pumpkin, Casey, as the centerpiece.

There are a whole bunch I am contemplating for my Christmas card this year... Check these out , I am really liking Starlight Snowflakes, No Mistletoe Neccessary....and a whole lot more. In fact, there are 747 to look through. I can't give you my final choice, you have to wait for it in the mail.

Shutterly is currently offering 20% off all holiday cards, Go Make yours!

dog show!

Ryan and I train and compete with our aussies, Josh and McKenzie. He competes with Josh, and McKenzie is mine. We are members of the Columbia Basin Dog Training Club...a fun crowd! I have been competing with my dogs since I was in the 5th grade....first Bailey, then Tobie and Rylie, now Josh and McKenzie. I have always loved training, I love my dogs like they are my children, and I am pretty sure any of them would have laid their life down for me if presented the chance.
We had our big club show of the year the first weekend of October. I showed McKenzie in Rally Excellent both days. While she didn't behave as well as I had hoped, we still qualified with 3rd place each day. This finished our RE title!! McKenzie is now, Country-Ways French Kiss, RE. She has earned her Rally Novice, Advanced and Excellent titles! Training consistently is difficult with a baby, and with working full time, but we do what we can. Our dogs are certainly pets/children first, training is a necessity to teach them to be good dogs, and competing is just a hobby.

Another fun part of showing, is that my friend Nicole also competes, so we can go together. Nicole and I started showing dogs in 4-H together almost 15 years ago. We also went to the same high school together, worked together in high school, were together at WSU for 4 years, 2 as room mates, and were then in each others weddings! After all these years, Nicole still associates with me:)

Here is Casey at the dog show! He is very busy, but did well 2 full days of shows!

The Pizza Bubble

The Pizza Bubble is one of our new favorite recipes. I found it on a website contest for 7 ingredients or less and the cheapest you can make a recipe. This was the winner. I never follow the recipe exactly, but here is the basics.

1 can pillsbury rolls
6 ounces turkey pepperoni
1 jar pizza sauce
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
pineapples
green peppers
onions
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Mix the cream of mushroom soup and pizza sauce. Cut rolls into fourths, add them in, cut pepperonis into fourths, add them in. Mix in pizza ingredients (you can use whatever you like on a pizza...onions, peppers, pineapple and pineapple happen to be what we like). Mix in 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes in a 9x13 pan. Top with another cup of cheese, bake til melted.

Soooo good, and the leftovers are really good too! Super easy and fast to make. As you can see, pretty cheap, especially because a lot of the ingredients go on sale.

Mya's birthday

Casey's girlfriend, and future wife, Mya turned one on Sept. 11th. We went to her birthday party at Keewaydin Park in Kennewick. Casey has never had any real sugar, and I figured we would wait until his 1st birthday, when he could have his very own cake to play in. But when April and Mya asked Casey to strip down and eat cake together....we couldn't say no!

Casey, Mya and Mya's cousin all stripped to their diapers (Casey was super relieved he was wearing his cool Huggies jeans diapers) and we put them on a blanket with the cake. Casey dove right in! He absolutely enjoyed his cake, he is like his Mom! At one point, in an attempt to get closer, Casey sat in the cake! I think he has a good idea...cake should be a whole body experience! At one point, Mya's cousin got too close to the cake, and Casey- full of green frosting- pushed her away, with a trail of green across her chest. Then it was just down to Casey and Mya....eventually Mya started crying because April put a party hat on her, and Casey was the last man standing, or sitting, in the cake. He just kept eating! He was pretty serious about the cake, and looked at it in wonder. When he was done, he went after some party hats and ate those too.

We tried to wipe him off with baby wipes and got nowhere fast, so we washed him under a faucet at the park, just good enough to get him home, where he got a full bath before the CSA party.

CSA Farm Party

On Saturday, September 11th, we headed out to our CSA's Farm Party. We missed the party Memorial Day, so we were excited we could make this one. There was a farm tour, BBQ potluck and bonfire. Schreiber and Sons Farm is in Eltopia, just outside of Pasco. It is 156 acres, which makes it tiny, according to the farmer, Allan Schreiber. We loaded up on tractors and hay to tour the farm. They have organic land, conventional land, and lots of research land. Research is where they make all of their money. The farmer has a PhD in entomology from WSU, and used to teach there as well. I guess that makes him Dr. Farmer Schreiber. He started the CSA for fun, and this year, there are 353 members. We saw where they make our boxes up. He told us a lot of interesting things about the culture of the Mexican workers they use. They have been using the same family, from near Guadalajara, for almost 20 years. They have their own space on the farm to grow peppers and things to sell at farmers markets and the flea market in Pasco. They grow peppers that are 100x hotter than jalapenos...and would send us gringos to the hospital:)

We toured all the fun pumpkins we will be getting! They are growing Casey a giant pumpkin (50+ pounds), and we will get the cool gooseflesh pumpkins that look like they have warts, Indian corn and squash and pumpkins of all sizes. Makes me look forward to fall:) Casey took a little nap during the farm tour...I tell you that kid can sleep anywhere!They BBQ'd chicken, turkey and duck on a huge BBQ thing. Everyone brought a side dish. Even though we were last to get our food, there was still plenty. While in line, Casey provided the entertainment...by laughing at everyone who looked at him. People would laugh back and that makes him laugh even harder. He is quite the comedian. We got many comments on how he was the happiest baby they had ever seen, and they had never seen a baby laugh that much. That's our boy!We also were able to grab a bunch more veggies and watermelon, cantaloupe and apples to bring home.

We didn't stick around for the bonfire and smores, we had been on the go since 6am, and while Casey had been a trooper all day, he needed to get to bed! We loved the party, and seeing how our food is grown, and hearing all the statistics and thought that goes into running a farm. It was fascinating to me. They had a huge turn out, so many people and their families and kids playing together. It was a really neat experience. I can't wait for the next one!

Enjoying my knife time....

I am getting pretty good with knives these days. With our CSA box, we are getting so much stuff that needs to be cut, chopped, sliced, diced and all the other terms I don't know. We have come to the realization that our knives suck. A lot.

*Hint, hint, wink, wink* to anyone who may want to get Ryan and I a birthday (Ryan will be 30 on Oct 9, and so will I on October 16!) or Christmas present....we need knives!

My Dad is amazing with knives, as he was a chef. I may need to take some lessons.

Last night we made a salsa/pico de gallo thing with:
Green, yellow, red and purple peppers
Jalapenos
corn
black beans
onions
tomatoes
avocados
cilantro
juice of one lime

We chopped all these up into little pieces, and put it on tortillas with some cheese and sour cream. We also had some tostitos scoops to put in on. So good, colorful and flavorful!! Lots of prep work to wash and cut up everything, but well worth the effort! We have made a variation of this a few times over the last few weeks. I even made something similar with cucumbers as the main ingredient.

Benton Franklin County Fair

Ryan and I were so excited to take Casey to the fair and see all the animals! He loves his dogs, so we figured he would like all the other weird looking "dogs". And yes, he did! We visited all the 4-H animals, and all the 4-H exhibits. I showed in the fair in 4-H with many projects, but mainly dogs, so I love to look at all the stuff.

We got to see a little bit of the dock dogs, those were fun to watch, ours don't enjoy the water all that much. I tried to sneak democrat stickers on Casey's stroller, but they were rejected by Ryan....rude! Just for that, I ate his candy, ha!

Casey liked the petting zoo, he got to pet goats, sheep and ponies. I loved the look on his face, sheer amazement and utter curiosity...priceless.

Some how, among all the noise and hustle bustle of the fair, Casey managed to sleep over an hour in his stroller. We watched the arm wrestling championship...pretty dumb, but kinda like a train wreck that you can't help but stare at.

We were really excited to go to the Luke Bryan concert....but realized well before that, it was just too loud for Casey. The warm up was soooo loud. So we headed to the rodeo!! Our favorite is the mutton busting...Casey will be competing just as soon as we can strap the kid to a sheep. Something tells me my fearless kid will enjoy it! I guess we can practice on the dogs.

And we are off!

We left the house this morning at 8:05...not bad for loading 2 dogs and a baby! However, we made it a car length out of the driveway before stopping to fix the bikes. We then made it to the stop sign at the end of the cul de sac when we realized we forgot the GPS. We turned around, grabbed it and headed out of the neighborhood! Then we found a garage sale...and stopped to buy an armful of games and a baby beach recliner chair with frogs on it, all for 2.75! The games were totally meant for Casey, in fact, his name is already written on them! I took that as a sign. So, we had to go home again, to drop everything. Then Ryan had to go to the bathroom. At 8:30 we hit the road for real.

Our first destination was Multnomah Falls, to do some hiking. We hiked up to the bridge at the falls, but it was crowded, and so many kids and dogs, we decided to drive down a few miles to find some better falls and hiking trails. We hiked about 2 hours, with Ryan carrying Casey in his backpack, and we had the dogs. It takes a lot to tire out McKenzie, but we did!

Next we headed to the Portland outlet malls.....Carters, Gymboree, Baby Gap...I did some shopping! Casey is fast outgrowing his 12 month clothes, and most of what he has is summery, so I got some cold weather outfits. I could shop forever for clothes for Casey...but I have a hard time buying anything that is not seriously on sale or clearance.

We found our hotel and headed to Billygans for dinner...you can throw your peanut shells on the ground...so they didn't seem to notice the large mess Casey made with watermelon, peas and a biter biscuit. We gave him some bites of the rolls, they were very sweet tasting and I think Casey got some sugar....he starting doing his "HA-HA" laugh at all the ladies. As we left in the stroller, he Ha-ha'd at every single table, so loud, he got a lot of laughs, which really only made him laugh harder. He is such a ham and such a flirt!!! Later, he played in the stroller, squealing and laughing and playing with his balloon. He played "How big is Casey....Soooo big!!" putting his arms over his head. We are ready for bed, and ready for the dog show tomorrow!

9 months

Casey is 9 months! So crazy...time goes by so fast. While we haven't done our 9 month well child check up, Casey went to the Doctor last week for a cough, and weighed 20.1 pounds! While we hasn't gained much in 3 months, I think when he gets measured next week, he will have grown a ton! He is such a long baby. Casey is getting more and more independent. He is crawling like a mad man. When he first figured out how to take 1, then 2, then 3 crawl steps....it was over. He is a zooming machine. He also pulls himself up. He likes to stand at the baby gate and shake it! He looks like a prisoner....especially when his hair is all over the place and he is chattering....so funny! He is really liking finger foods and feeding himself. He is eating watermelon, cantaloupe, avacados, eggs, and puffs and biscuits by hand. He gets lots of veggies that are pureed. He tried chicken for the first time too, and liked it. But, lets be honest, Casey loves to eat everything!

Casey is go-go-go until he crashes and naps. He plays hard, and is never sitting still. If he is sitting in one location, or is in a highchair or his bike trailer, he is constantly kicking his feet, over and over. When he starts getting sleepy, he is very cuddly:) There is nothing better than cuddling with Casey....and his Daddy, better include him too!

4th of July Family Photos

I bought the yearly Old Navy $5 shirts for all of us. Funny story: I bought the light blue shirt for me, and navy blue t-shirt for Ryan. I tossed it at him and told him he must wear it for photos. I went downstairs and after awhile I hear "Uh Megs?" in a very sheepish tone. I turn and look, Ryan is bright red and giggling, and I burst out laughing. "I think this is a womans shirt....we need to trade". The navy blue shirt, sure enough, was a womans cut and looked absolutely ridiculous on him! Hilarious. So we traded. I should have gotten a picture of him in it, dang it! Blackmail! Anyways, we should probably get some sort of prize from Old Navy, or get to be their new models, we are a pretty good looking family!

We took some family photos with our handy tripod. As you can see, there is actually no way possible to get Casey and 2 australian shepherds to look in the same direction, at the same time. Simply cannot be done. Although I am told the picture with us and the dogs should be framed and hung over the mantel, because it is simply priceless!

For the 4th, we went with my friend Tiphanie and her little guy, Noah, to the River of Fire event at the Columbia Park. Turns out, there was not much to do unless your kids are about 4, so we decided to take the boat out for awhile. We didn't stay out too long, because it got really windy. So we headed back to our house, where Tiph, Ryan (her Ryan...we each have one!) and Noah came back over for some ladderball, basketball and to watch the fireworks. And for some reason, the Ryan's were practicing defensive tactics. Then we played some wii. Good times!

Casey's sprinkle mat

Casey is definitely a little water baby. I attribute this to doing prenatal water aerobics from 10 weeks til the day my water broke. And lots of swimming while pregnant. Casey loves the pool, the bath, the faucet, the lake beach and the sprinkle mat. Until Ryan turned it on to high, and the sprinkles went over his head....that was too much sprinkle for Casey. Because Casey has Ryan's ghost white skin, we have many swim shirts, hats and sunscreen. I bought swim shirts in every size when they were clearanced last summer...I figured I would have a red headed baby, although he is actually blonder than blond, like I was as a baby. He still got Ryan's fair skin though, I tan really well, poor Ryan goes from white to red to white. On the plus side...Ryan is excellent with sunscreen and never forgets to lather up Casey and himself!!

Boating!

This summer we have playing on the boat a lot. Casey is a good little boater! The life jacket is a little like a straight jacket, but Casey is suprisingly a good sport about it. We did just finally switch life jackets, the one we were using, the zipper hit his little chin....so we discovered one we got at a liquidation sale last year fits perfect! I love a deal. No more zippers in the face.

This year, Ryan and I had to get our boaters licenses...I just want to reiterate that I passed mine the first time, with a higher score, than Ryan....who took it a few times. Yes, apparently I am the safer driver. Ryan is enjoying tubing, wakeboarding, waterskiing and attempting to slalom. I do a little tubing, and a lot of tanning and swimming and floating. Casey is enjoying napping on the boat, and playing on the shore, eating sand and splashing. We have taken Ryan, Tiphanie and baby Noah out with us a few times, and Nicole and Jared. Good times! We have had a few days we weren't able to go out....due to thunder, lightning and a rogue dust storm. Hopefully we will make it out a few more times this summer....how is it already August 20???

Our CSA

This year, Ryan and I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Basically, we paid for a share of a farm, and we get weekly fresh produce. We pick up our box every week near our house. We get whatever is in season. Our season runs from May to November. This has been great! Especially because we got a choice option, so we can rebuild our box and skip things we don't eat. Like beets and turnips, and lettuce bombs...aka kohlrabi. Although we have gotten more adventurous and are trying new things. In May we got asparagus every week, lots of it! Yum! And lots of lettuce and greens. Now we are starting to get corn, melon, peppers and lots of cucumbers. This week I made a cucumber black bean salad, with corn, pepper, onions, cucumbers, black beans, and a little olive oil, lime juice, oregano and pepper. I get lots of squash, which usually gets made into baby food. I also get some veggies at work, from a freind with a big garden.

Ryan and I made a pact to stop eating out so much....since we both work full time, its really hard to get dinner on the table every night, but we have broken the habit! Now, when chicken goes on sale for $1.78/pound, we buy 10-15 pounds, and freeze individual dinners: Seasoned chicken, chicken fajita strips, cut up chicken or whole breasts...so its really easy to pull something out and bake it. When extra lean ground beef goes on sale...we buy lots for the freezer. When I make spaghetti, I make 3 sauces and freeze 2. When pot roast goes on sale 1.99/pound, we get a bunch for the freezer. So we always have meals, and they are always super cheap:) We cut up all our fruit and veggies so they are ready in the fridge for the next meal.

I just made baked spaghetti from left over beef, threw it in the fridge, and will bake it so its ready when Ryan gets off work. All while Casey is napping. No eating out!!

So behind....

So I realized I hadn't updated in awhile....that is because Casey keeps me BUSY!!! As do the dogs, my job (super crazy these days), the new house, and trying to be more active (lots of riding bikes, swimming, walking etc).

I have been scrapbooking like crazy lately. I set up the office- which is half Ryan's, for his computer and stuff- and half mine:) Mine has my awesome scrap table and all my many scrap bins. I have pictures, I will have to put them up. I also have a bookshelf for all my albums....and a whole lot of baby toys. I realized that my blog is how I journal my scrapbooks. I print off my blog, and add it to my pages....so I better start blogging again!

Ryan and I's new craze is biking. The bikes are all tuned up, all ready to go, we bought a bike trailer from Craigslist ( a double- someday we will have 2 to put in there!) But Casey does not seem to like the bike trailer...and he is supposed to be 1 before using it. Well, the kid is bigger than most 1 year olds at his 8.5 months...so we were thinking he would be all right. We tried at 6 months before realizing he needed to be older. But even now, he just doesn't quite like it. He does LOVE the stroller and jogging stroller. While Ryan was working graves, Casey and I walked every night before his bedtime, but after it had slightly cooled off(some nights, it just doesn't!). Ryan got out his rollerblades, and has been pushing Casey in the jogging stroller, while i ride my bike, and an occasional dog jogs beside. Casey loves this! We look like a circus, and get a lot of odd looks, but we have been enjoying it. We are working up our endurance to be able to ride much further. I need a new bike seat, ouch! I asked a friend who bikes a lot, about how to make my seat cozier and was informed there are padded pants you can wear. Oh right, because all I need is extra padding on my butt! Worst idea ever!

Well, have to run, lets see if I can do better on blogging!

6 Months Old!

Casey is 6 months old! I don't know how this happened....time is just flying!

I wrote several blogs in word format, on a car trip, and for some reason they won't cut and paste over here....it is driving me crazy. Then I didn't want to blog out of order....but I guess i give up. Plus, we have been so busy MOVING, I have not had a chance to write anything.

I am not sure where to start, Mother's Day? Moving Day? First Solids? Baby food making? Joining our CSA and getting yummy veggies? Chamisa's vet school graduation? The new furniture> Setting up and unpacking?

I don't know! I am at work, so no access to pictures either....just finished painting my office Bayou Blue! Looks like a blue sunny day in here:) I love it.

Went to the Dr today, for pain in my upper right back....hurts when I breathe deep or move! Things I have to do on a daily basis. The cause? Stress and tension, surprise surprise. The cure? Physical therapy and massage :) I am headed back to my favorite physical therapist, from my shoulder and elbow surgery. Won't he be surprised to see me back! There is not much I can take while nursing, so can't wait to get some relief.

I am excited my Mom, Dad, Jenna and Dustin are coming to visit Memorial Day weekend! And our family reunion in Chelan is coming up! Lots to look forward too....starting with a weekend off with Ryan, and taking Casey swimming!

Photos

Ryan and I love to hike Badger Mountain year round. This is definitely one of the best times of year, as everything is blooming and pretty. Not always great for the allergies though! The dogs love it too...and are very well behaved. Josh carries his own backpack with water, collapsible bowl, doggy bags and treats. Ryan carries Casey and I get our backpack. McKenzie leads the pack. Casey carries his paci and looks cute. We get stopped a lot, due to our adorable child and beautiful aussies!
There are 2 sides of Badger Mountain, one is shorter but steeper, the second a longer trail that traverses more. I prefer the longer walk! We do the longer less steep side about 5x more often that the shorter steeper side.
McKenzie is such a pretty girl. We continue to be amazed at how great the dogs are with Casey. He is just learning to reach out and grab them. He grabbed the fur between/above Kenzie's eyes and would not let go! She did not move a muscle, just turned her eyes to me and pleaded for me to release her! We are trying to help him to pet the dogs nicely, but the kid has a death grip. The aussies have been very forgiving, and are very gentle. They like to lay their heads next to him, sniff him, and if they can get away with it- lick him! They are pretty gross, they love to try to lick up spit-up....yea, I wouldn't kiss my dogs if I were you....
Obviously Casey was born a Coug. His Mom and Dad are Cougs, his blood runs crimson. I LOVE LOVE this tracksuit. Casey will be visiting Pullman May 9th, for our good friend Chamisa's vet school graduation! I have known Chamisa for about 8 years now...and i am so proud she is going to be a Doctor! Last year, Casey went to WSU in my belly for Casi's graduation, this time he gets to experience it on the outside!
Casey is just now fitting into lots of different WSU outfits. He has a jersey onesie, from his cousin, Kayla that is awesome! I gotta get his picture in that. We finally got a new camera after the broken camera fiasco....can't not have a camera with a baby! New WSU pics soon....

So much going on!

These last few weeks have been total chaos, and it probably won't improve much for the next few weeks. We sold our house and made an offer on another. Yay! No more showing the house on an hours notice! But....then came the home inspection on our current home. How is possible that the shower has been leasking under the house and we had no idea?! So this started a barrage of plumbers and restoration specialists coming over and calls to the realtors and insurances and all sorts of people. We had numerous estimates on the damage and various timeframes and different information....all the while working uop contracts with the people buying the house so they wouldn't walk away. And our realtor didn't think the house we want to buy would appraise for what it is being sold at, so we had been dealing back and forth making stipulations for what ifs...they were only willing to drop the price so much, or they couldn't afford to sell...which would leave us with a sold house and no where to move to.

Ok, who followed that!?

The latest is....the shower, piping, floors and walls all need to be replaced. The insurance is covering everything. The buyers still want the house. We signed a contract that all will be fixed for them. The house we want came in right at the lowest they were willing to go, so we DO have a house to move to.

Yesterday a restoration company came and tore out the shower and flooring in the laundry room and master bathroom, and found tons of mold. Uh oh! I had been telling Ryan the bathroom smelled mildewy, and we threw away the floor rugs, scrubbed the shower, the floors and theshower tracks, but I could still smell it. Oh.....because its everywhere in the floors and walls!!! So they have taken it all out and sealed off the bathroom and laundry room and put some weird fans that make negative air pressure and pull all the air out of the house. They also had to shut off the furnace. So my house is ripped apart and it will take weeks to fix, but we are packing up anyways.

Before the resoration company got here, I asked Ryan if he thought we should get all our stuff out of our bathroom. Oh no, he says, no need. After I go to work, they tell him to grab what he needs, they have to seal it off!! As I look through what Ryan grabbed....I just have to laugh. He grabbed me 8 boxes of tampons (I don't need any.....) but not my toothbrush. He got my chi hair straightener, but no hairbrush or pick or comb. We have Q-tips and toe nail clippers, but not my make up. I have deoderant, but not any hair gel. He grabbed like 3 bottles of sunscreen, but its raining. I guess in his defense, it was sunny over the weekend, and if you have seen my red-headed hubby, he will burn in any amount of sun! Anyways, it cracked me up.

In the middle of all the house chaos, Casey is not feeling well. We took him to the Dr Monday, he has fluid behind both ears, the beginning of ear infection in both ears, especially the right, and has a cough and congestion. He has not been happy. He won't nap unless being held upright, which makes night time crappy. He can barely keep his paci in because he is so stiffy. He coughs and cant catch his breath, giving me a heart attack every time. This last weekend was Ryan's long weekend, 7-7 Friday, Saturday Sunday...so Casey and I mostly watched TV with me holding him. Saturday we did do the SARC Walk a Mile In Her Shoes, where the men walk in high heels. Casey slept in the mai-tai (no idea how to spell....sounds like may-tie?) He got a lot of compliments on the dinosaur mai tai....I will have to post a picture. Sunday we watched the 16 and Pregnant marathon. Shameful.

We have also had a string of bad luck with things breaking. Like the camera. And my breast pump....can't go without when I work full time and Casey only gets breast milk!!

Hopefully, when we close on the houses May 14th and get moved and setled...life will slow down?

Shopping and Dumpster diving

We are packing up the house! This sounded easy, til we started working on it. And I should know this, because i have moved so many times. Between August 2001 moving to Pullman and my house now, I have moved 6 times!! After we move this time (Number 7) hopefully we will not move again for a very very long time! At least 10 years.


Collecting boxes is never easy, and they are so expensive to buy. We decided to do a family "dumpster diving" adventure. Our first cardboard bin had one box. Lame. So we went to another. Jackpot!! Someone had flattened a TON of home depot moving boxes, so Ryan dug them all out! When he couldn't reach some, he moved the Escape closer, stood on it, and got even more. Nice! I wasn't much help, because I got distracted by the shiny newspaper recycle bin....hello coupons! I found albertson doublers right on top. And a bunch more smart source/ red plum inserts. Laugh all you want, but I save hundreds per month by my Krazy Couponing.

After swimming in the cardboard and newspaper bins, we went swimming at the gym. Except when we got there, the outdoor pool where we like to swim (It's outdoor in the summer, but covered the rest of the year...we don't really swim outdoors this time of year) was closed. So we thought the hot tub sounded awesome, but the front desk informed us the daycare is closed on sundays. What?! So instead, we went back to dive for more coupons.

I did get some good deals this weekend!

Walgreen's: 3 8x10 photos from Walgreens and snapfish totally free!

Target: 2 gillette fusion razors....48 cents each (normally $7 each)

Rite Aid: Contact solution, tampax pearl, 2 old spice deodorants and gum...roughly $1.50

Albertsons: Made out like a bandit....but can't remember the exact deals...but 2 gallons Milk, 2 bags of reduced fat cheese, 4 boxes cereal, 4 boxes lean pockets, 2 jumbo bags pampers swaddlers, jumbo pack electrasol dishwasher tabs for $17, and got $3 back to use later, then I got 4 more boxes cereal, 2 more bags cheese, 4 boxes mac and cheese for under $2.

Luckily in the tri-cities, all the stores are clumped together, so I don't waste gas. My Albertsons gas rewards are up to 30 cents per gallon....time to fill the Expedition!

So I added up that the 10 minutes of coupon searching saved me at least $18 just yesterday, and will go much much farther later.

Just some cute pictures:)

Casey never stays put in his crib these days. We wiggles and kicks his way all over the place. He never is facing the same direction either! He is still a good sleeper, we usually get from 8:30pm to 6am, although that ranges from 5-7! Because Casey is moving so much, we took out the bumper in the crib, and his blankets. He usually sleeps in really warm pajamas (which we have been calling his jammie-jams, after watching The Office!) In this picture, we had put him down for a nap, in just a short sleeve onesie and socks, so we swaddled him up in a warm blankie. He was laying on his back the opposite direction when I put him down. I had to get a picture, because this is exactly how I sleep at night! On my side, wrapped and snugged with a fleece blanket! This was the first time we have seen Casey sleeping on his side. Such a sweet guy! After he woke up, Casey and his Mommy and Daddy had fun playing. Casey LOVES his jujmperoo and is getting wild in there! He really likes an audience, and will get mad if you leave him alone. He is quite the ham. If you leave the room, he will get upset after a few minutes, when you come back to talk to him, he starts to laugh and bounce like crazy! Last night, in his exersaucer, we saw that he is really getting good at making the toys work. There is a rolly thing, that when you make it roll, has lots of things inside that move and make noise. Casey was so fascinated, and you could watch him think about it, and purposely roll it and watch. Such a smarty! Later, as I was holding him and making him fly over to "get Daddy", he started rooting and doing his pirhana on Ryan's nose. He was so funny....both of them actually! I really love when the 3 of us play, and Casey is just cracking up. He is such a happy little guy and I love his laugh. I love our little family!

Casey and I went to a wedding a few weeks ago, on the first day of spring. A friend from work got married, and Ryan was working, so I took Casey as my date. He was looking pretty good in his khakis and polo shirt. I was hoping he would sleep through the ceremony, but he woke up right as it was starting. He was really good...just distracting, because he is so stinkin cute with his smiles and giggles....and everyone was checking him out..."Hey everybody....come and see how good I look!"

Easter

Casey and I traveled to the west side for Easter, since Ryan was working. I left Friday morning, checked the pass conditions, bare and wet....no problem! My brother called me about 20 minutes later, to let me know a storm was moving in....and travel in the passes was not advised. We decided to keep going, as I was thinking I could beat the worst of the storm. It was a complete blizzard before I hit Yakima. Casey was great and slept a lot. There was lots of stop and go, and many accidents. We took it slow, and stopped in Ellensburg to gas up, go potty and call Matt for a pass update. We kept going, East bound passes were closed, due to accidents, but we were trucking along at about 25mph. I stopped in North Bend after making it over the pass. I fed Casey and hit Carters at the factory outlet mall. We headed off again, and finally made it to my parents home!! I have seen way worse in the passes, after going to school at WSU, but never with a baby! It was pretty sad to arrive without Tobie. I always bring Tobie with me, to his second home, and it was hard to get there without him. I thought a lot about him on the way over there. I sure miss him a lot.


That night, my parents, brothers and sisters and nephews all gathered for pizza and games! Shauna and Noah brought this crazy hilarious game called Things. We had a good time! It was also fun to see how big all the babies had gotten. Casey is definitely catching up to his cousins, who are 3 months older than him.

On Saturday, my Mom and I went shopping at Target and Ben Franklin. I LOVE talking scrapbooking with my Mom, and shopping for baby clothes and fun stuff. We had to hurry home for the big Easter egg hunt! The neighbor who lives behind my parents has a 5 acre farm, and he invited all his friends and family for an Easter egg hunt. We took all the kids over, Cooper did a great job looking for eggs!

Casey and I collected just a few eggs, so Mommy could have some chocolate....

My Dad is an amazing chef. You are missing out if you have never eaten with my family. He has been a chef in restaurants, owned restaurants, and is a district manager in the restaurant business.....so he knows his food!!! He prepared an Easter fiesta! We had enchiladas, carne asada, guacamole (Dad's is the BEST) and margaritas. We were so stuffed.

My Grandparents also came up for the day, and we did another Easter egg hunt for Cooper outside.

For some reason, putting bunny ears on babies is so entertaining and creates a great photo opp. Getting them to all hold still, look in one direction and smile is simply not possible. We couldn't convince Cooper to join in either. At 2, Coop is pretty independent!

Casey got a fun Easter basket from Gramma and Grandpa, and more goodies from his cousins.

Here are the Moms and babies! These pics will never get old as the babies get bigger. It's so much fun to go through this with my sisters!

Sunday, we (my parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and nephews!!) went to the quarterchute cafe for brunch, before I headed back home. The drive was much less snowy on the way home.

When Ryan got home from work, we celebrated Casey's first Easter as a family! Casey got another Easter basket and goodies. Mom and Dad seemed to have eaten all his candy:)

4 month check up

We knew Casey is a big kid...and his stats show it! Casey weighs 17.3 pounds (97th percentile) and 26.5 inches (98th percentile). His head circumference is only on the 40th percentile. I assure you, it's all brain in there:)


Casey got a clean bill of health, is meeting all his milestones like a champ, and was a trooper with his 2 vaccines. He didn't even flinch at the first one, but definitely cried during the second one....the nurse warned us that one would sting. Poor guy. He is at home with Daddy today. We are excited the house is being shown tonight, and we are having an open house Sunday! Let's sell this house!

Rolling rolling rolling

Casey rolled over this morning for the first time! Such a big guy. He rolled from his tummy to his back. He is also moving all over his crib at night. We took out the sleep positioner, since he was moving around that too. This morning he was up against the left hand side of the crib, vertical! Silly boy. He is like the dogs, chasing things in his dreams. After daylight savings, he was waking up at 4:45 am for 2 nights, but luckily this only lasted 2 nights, and he was back to 6:30 or so. This morning he was up and playing at 5:15, when Ryan gets up for work, but I let him play while I tried to wake up, til almost 6.


A few weekends ago, we headed to Portland for a work meeting of mine. Since my job was paying mileage and a hotel, we made it a mini family trip. Casey slept the whole ride there! We left early Friday morning, my meeting was 10-2. Ryan and Casey had a boys day and picked me up afterwards. We checked into the hotel, played around for a little while with Casey, then headed to Clackamas to the Claim Jumper for dinner. So good. The manager came and talked to us a lot, his baby was born the same day as Casey! But that is his 4th! We left very very full, with a healthy supply of root beer barrels. We headed to the mall and did some shopping. It was fun to just walk around and walk off about 1/100 of the calories we had just eaten. We went to Macy's furniture and looked at what we liked for our new house (crossing fingers it will all fall into place soon). Neither of us are really big shoppers, so we didn't stay too long. We were too lazy to set up the pack and play, so Casey just slept between us in the king bed! He woke up once at midnight to eat, which is weird for him, but went back to sleep. He kicked his Daddy all night, but I slept just fine! We headed home in the morning, again Casey slept the whole way. Ryan was in a hurry, he went paintballing as soon as we got home.


Tomorrow is Casey's 4 month appointment, can't wait to see what a moose he is. He is so tall, his 6 month one piece outfits are almost up to his knees! Can't wait for Easter, to see how big he is next to his cousins!! Casey and I are spending Easter weekend with my family, then Casey and I will be home to celebrate Easter with Daddy, when he gets off work.

Big kid

Casey is growing like crazy. Today, he almost rolled all the way over. He hates tummy time, so we don't do it as often as we should.

Casey's new love is his exersaucer!! Than you Grandma Susie!! He loves to be standing up, so it is perfect for him, although he can't be in too long, he is still getting his strength in there. Casey discovered that he can touch his 2 hands together, and that 2 fists in your mouth is more exciting than one. Today he also reached up, patted my face and laughed hysterically when I nibbled his fingers.

Casey still wakes up happy, smiling and laughing. He is still sleeping through the night too! He is just a happy go lucky guy. Casey went to his first agility practice, and we will go again sunday. McKenzie and I are starting a new agility class! Actually 2....a weaving class and a class to hopefully get us ready to compete.

I took Casey to work with me yesterday, as our babysitter was sick. He was a good baby. I didn't get much done, but that was more due to the fact my computer had a virus and IT spent hours fixing it! There seems to be some sickness at work, I hope we manage to avoid it.

I never seem to be on the right computer to upload pictures, but chances are, you have seen them on facebook already.

Extreme couponing

Yes, extreme couponing....it's basically a sport that I excel in.

Last week, I purchased 2 covergirl mascaras, 2 gillette body washes and 2 gillette deoderants. I paid 75 cents out of pocket, and will get a $2 single rebate check.

Another trip last week- 2 jumbo packs pampers swaddlers, 1 crossaction power toothbrush and a box of nyquil for $5.50

2 weeks ago I got 18 boxes of Ronzoni Healthy harvest/smart taste pasta. These don't expire for 2 years so we are stocked! They were all Albertson deals:)

Mail is always fun to check because of the freebies. The last week or so, we have gotten aveeno shampoo/conditioner, free notebook and mousepad from shutterfly, several free magazines (Working Mom, Boating, Country Living, Maxim), coupons fot got2be haircare, free coupon for digiornio pizza, free bottle of excedrin, free pamper diaper. We usually get something everyday.

We are definitely saving a lot of money! If you buy diapers at costco, you pay 20-25 cents per diaper, but I dont ever buy unless I only pay 10-15 cents each. Sometimes I can get even cheaper!

Houses

Ryan and i are trying to find a new house. The house shrank when Casey was born. We sold the horses to a wonderful family, who rides them everyday. We just no longer had time to ride. But we feel good about where they are. So....finding a house without a horse pasture is much easier....sort of. We still need a big enough yard for 2 crazy aussies, and for Casey, who I am certain will never stop running as soon as he can start. There are so many things to consider...we need a big house, a big yard, which city and which school district, drive time to work and to daycare. I don't like my backyard to back up to anyone elses, I like a country feel and not too suburban of a neighborhood. Ryan wants enough grass that he doesn't feel silly busting out the john deere ride on mower, or get laughed at for using it on a postage stamp yard. We also need enough grass Josh and McKenzie don't destroy it. Do we want a 5 year house? Or a forever house? Do we want to build? But then we have to rent for a few months, but we could build a house and choose the options, but then there is a lot of work putting in the yard and all that. Luckily Ryan is incredibly handy. He can build or fix just about anything, and do a fabulous job!


We also have to sell our house. We have had some interest, and it seems to be going well. But...trying to keep a house look-at ready with a baby and working full time? Not an easy task! I am getting more efficient in the morning, but there are days we just cant leave the house in pristine condition, or even close to it. The realtor offered to run by the house and tidy it up before it was shown the other day, but really? What if my undies were on the floor or something? Do I really want her doing my dishes and cleaning my messy house? Actually, that does sound pretty good upon further reflection...


Hopefully we will have good house news to share soon! I am not in a big hurry, moving with a baby sounds like too much work! Ryan on the other hand is climbing the walls for this all to fall into place.

Casey is 3 months old

Time is flying! Casey is now 3 months old, and just the happiest baby. He smiles, laughs and coos. He even wakes up happy. Casey has been going to bed at 9, but he is starting to fall asleep even earlier, 8-8:30. The best part is....he is sleeping through the night! Just as I went back to work, he started sleeping til 5, then 6 and lately I am waking him at 6:30-7. Even after sleeping that long, Casey wakes up chattering and laughing! When he was still waking up at 3 to eat, he would smile at me when he woke up, which I figured was natures way of making sure Mom's don't eat their babies. He is much more of a morning person than me....he takes after Ryan.


Casey looks so much like Ryan, even strangers come up and comment how much he looks like Daddy, who could not be prouder! I sometimes think Ryan just might burst with pride and love. I love watching Ryan and Casey together, it is beyond cute! Ryan has Casey 2 or 3 days per week while I am at work, and they definitely have fun! Yesterday Ryan took Casey and both dogs for a hike up Badger Mtn all by himself! That's efficient! Casey likes the outdoors, we take him hiking, walking or out in the stroller. He has a big "Mom's cub" snowsuit he goes out in, and gets all bundled up. I love my jogging stroller, although I don't jog....just walk. Sometimes he sleeps, but he is always content if you are moving.


We wondered what Casey would be like, since he moved all the time in my belly....and he still does! I can't keep socks on that kid, he kicks his feet so much they come right off. And blankets? Those do not stay on him in the carseat, on the couch, in the swing....he never stops moving his arms and legs. Many people have commented on how busy he is. He loves to be sitting straight up so he can see everything, and for you to stand him up on your lap, he is so strong. He has a great grip, and likes to hold your finger, and loves to get a good fistful of hair.


Casey started at daycare, with my friend Rachel. Rachel has a baby 3 weeks younger than Casey, and an almost 3 year old. I am amazed at what she can do with 3 little boys, she takes them all shopping, to Mommy and Me classes and Dr. appointments. She just may be super-Mom, and I know he is in super good hands when Ryan and I are at work. Casey will give her big smiles when I drop him off. Work is going great, I am back in the swing of things and working with new families. I pump twice at work, luckily I have my own office, so this is no biggie. Just have to remember to shut the blinds! One whole wall of my office is a window that looks into a busy street...I haven't flashed anyone yet.

Tobie

I have been trying to write something about about Tobie, but I never know quite where to start. I can't find the right words to describe how much I loved him, and how much he meant to me. There just really aren't words that do Tobie justice.

I was looking for a puppy in the summer of 1996. I knew I wanted an 8 week old blue merle female aussie puppy with 2 blue eyes. I called a lot of breeders, but couldn't find what I wanted. I even called Tobie's breeder, Kim Buffum, of Country-Way aussies, and she told me about a 12 week old black tri boy she had, named Luther (at the time, I thought she was calling him Lucifer!!). I said no thanks, not what I am looking for! My Mom and I went to the Australian Shepherd Club of Washington's 4th of July show to look at puppies and meet breeders. We saw lots of puppies that day, but when I saw Luther/Tobie, I knew he was exactly the puppy I wanted! I watched him win Best of Breed Puppy, he had the day before as well. We went back the next day to pick him up, where he had won Best Opposite sex puppy. He was named Country-Ways It's In His Kiss, after the cher song and I decided to call him Tobie. It was love at first sight.

When Tobie was good, he was amazing, when he was naughty....he was super naughty!! Nicole nicknamed him "No-No-Bad-Dog". He was so incredibly smart, and that tended to get him in a lot of trouble. In college, Tobie let himself out of my bedroom one morning while I was at work, ransacked the house....ate all the garbage, stole the loaf of bread off the counter, and then went back in my room and shut the door behind him....all while Nicole slept and Rylie was crated. I came home thinking we had a raccoon on the loose!

Tobie was definitely a beautiful dog, he was my first "show dog". I showed Tobie in 4-H, where we were the overall grand champion in junior showmanship and red robin handling one year.
Tobie placed first in his class at nationals, over 40 other aussies. We also won best in match at an all breed conformation match. Tobie was an ASCA champion, and was on his way to being an AKC champion, when he had an emergency surgery and was then neutered. Tobie was so incredibly smart, but so very naughty in the obedience ring!! We did many classes together, but he just loved to embarass me in the ring, silly boy! In the long sit, I turned around to find him humping another dog once. Another time, he met another dog in the middle of the ring to play. On the recall, he saw Kim out of the corner of his eye and jumped up on the bench next to her, instead of coming to me!

What I loved about Tobie, was his love for life. Tobie loved everything and everyone. He was quick with his tongue, and was so accurate! Tobie could not control his licker!! Tobie was like my shadow, right up until his last day. He followed me everywhere I went. He layed in the bathroom while I showered, in the kitchen while I cooked, and on the couch while I watched tv. He never left my side...he was faithful and loyal, and so sweet with those freckles. Tobie loved to go camping, hiking, boating or just go for a ride. Ryan said he loved the way Tobie watched me when we met on our first date. Tobie really never took his eyes off me, how much more perfect could a dog be? When I first moved in with Ryan, Tobie was a little jealous of sharing his Mom. At night, he would go up and wake Ryan and act like he had to go potty. When Ryan went to let him out, Tobie ran back to bed and stole his spot. He did this repeatedly...pretty smart!! Eventually he learned to share, but spent most nights spooned against my legs. Tobie also unloaded our dishwasher once. Top and bottom shelf! We have pretty heavy plates, that he somehow got out. There was only one dish casualty....Tobie always kept me on my toes.

I could go on forever with stories about Tobie, but it could still never accurately tell how special he was, and always will be. Tobie saw me graduate high school, college, get married and have a baby. Almost 14 wonderful years. April 18th would have been Tobie's 14th birthday. Few people in this world are lucky enough to have such an amazing dog. I was lucky enough to have Tobie and Rylie. Josh and McKenzie have some pretty big shoes to fill.

I miss him so much.

Swagbucks

I have been using swagbucks now since June. It is a search engine, just like google, but it randomly awards you "swagbucks" that you can cash in for prizes. My favorite is a $5 amazon.com giftcard, for 45 swagbucks. I have now earned 9 of these! You can use them together, and I also have earned some amazon gift cards for a credit card I use (and pay off every month, I only use it to earn the gift cards), so I have gotten almost $150 at amazon for free! We bought a processor for our computer, and I am trying to decide what we are saving up for next.

Swagbucks also does codes to earn more bucks, and you can earn points off of friends you refer too. Everytime they earn a swagbuck, you earn one too (up to 100 per friend). It doesn't cost anything, you just use it like you would google. To try it out, click the swagbucks widget on my blog, or go to http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/McFrench and get signed up! Earn some amazon money! Or any of the other prizes!

2 month check up

I took Casey in for his 2 month check up today. He weighs 13.2 pounds and is 24 and 1/4 inches. That is 98% for weight, and 97% for height....at least my little moose is height weight proportionate! He has grown 1.5 inches and gained 2 pounds in a month. Doctor says he looks great, and is a big healthy growing boy. Sadly, he did have to get some vaccines today, the foirst was oral and he liked it!! The next 3 were shots in his chubby thighs and he did NOT like those. He settled down really quick, his cries were more "why on earth would you do that to me??" he loves his pacifier and he got lots of love afterwards. He has long since forgotten all about it.

We got a big smile from Casey the other day, and saw 2 dimples! We usually just see the one on the right....so it seems he has 2 dimples like his Mom. Last night, Casey slept from 9 till 5! That was 8 hours....I will take it! He has been at 5-6 hours, but lets hope 8 is his new habit.

I was going to add some pictures, but I can't figure out which SD card they are on, so next time!!

2 months!

Wow! Casey is already 2 months old...I can't believe how fast time has gone! More and more of his personality shows every day. We get more smiles and baby noises. Casey's sleep schedule changes weekly, this week seems to be an up till midnight week. He will sleep a 5 hour chunk at a time.

The dogs all love Casey! I caught Tobie with his head in the carseat, which was sitting on the ground. He was licking Casey's face, yuck! I ran over and pulled him away....Casey's face was all scrunched up and I thought he was going to bawl....but after a second he broke out in a grin and giggled...he liked it! Josh and McKenzie come in the house and immediately check on him, they like to check him out and are very gentle.

Ryan and I made the tough decision to sell the horses. With Casey, they just don't get ridden. They are going to a great home, and are going together! That was important to us, since they are very attached to each other. We are in the process of looking for a house closer into town, still with a big yard, but not the acreage the horses need.

We have been working the dogs in obedience, the dogs just crave it, they are such smart dogs, they continuously amaze me. McKenzie is so precise and sharp, and Josh is so steady. We can't wait to get to some shows this year, we have goals for titles this year. We want to finish their rally excellent titles and CD's, and get back to agility this spring.

I have 4 more weeks of maternity leave, it will be so weird to go back to work. I have been busy scrapbooking, and finished all the pages of my honeymoon album, now just have to finish the journaling. I am ready to move on to Casey pictures! I just had almost 500 pictures from last year printed....I gotta get busy!

I am so excited to fly to Seattle next week! My parents are flying me and Casey over on Wednesday and Ryan will join us for the weekend. Its going to be a great weekend:)

Well, I am headed to bed....sleep is so precious these days!

Shopping

I am especially proud of one of my latest shopping trips, so I thought I would share.

I went to Rite-Aid, a store I would never shop in, until I started playing around with coupons. Now I shop there all the time, since I don't pay much! Here is my latest, with the regular purchase price next to it. I don't buy things for full price....

I bought:
1 Huggies Pure and Natural diapers 11.99
1 Contac cold/flu tablets 6.99
1 Scrubbing bubbles Automatic cleaner kit 17.99
2 Scrubbing bubbles refills 4.79
2 boxes of tampons 3.99
1 2 pack of olay age defying bar soap 3.49
1 3 pack of zest soap 3.19

Before sales this would be roughly 52.00
Everything I bought was on sale, bringing the total down to roughly 46.00
Then I used almost 27.00 worth of coupons, and received 9 back in rebates, so my total was actually about $11. I always wanted to try the scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner, but not for the regular price!

Last week when I shopped at rite aid, I made $6 and got lots of stuff, including 2 of the new Olay regenerist facial cleanser and pore scrub...can't wait to try it out....for free, and a profit:)

This and that

I guess its time for an update! I still don't get 2 hands very often...I am typing one handed right now...which takes a long time!


Casey is doing great, still has a little stuffiness, but so do Ryan and I. This has been the longest lingering cold ever!! Casey gave me his first real smile Jan 2! I have seen lots of smiles in his sleep, but now am getting smiles while he is awake and looking at me! It's official...he has a big dimple in his right cheek!! Casey is also grabbing at the rings in his activity center and he is all over the place in there, he kicks his legs and turns himself sideways. He is also a fan of his swing again, it's been nice to be able to set him down to do some things, when he was really sick he didn't want to be put down for a minute! He is a great shopper, he likes his car seat and the car, and I am becoming a master at positioning the carseat in all the shopping carts. It's nice to get out of the house, because hanging out at home all the time is hard for me. Sometimes, when Ryan is at work, I take Casey to the store and just wander up and down the aisles...just to get out and get moving. Its way too cold to walk outside. At 5.5 weeks, Casey weighed 11.2 pounds and was 23 inches long. He is on the 97% for weight! He is a big guy!!


I had my 6 week postpartum check up, and was cleared to exercise! So I immediately went back to my pre/postnatal water aerobics class....where I was deemed a rockstar for having returned so quick after my appointment. The best part was finally getting to use the hot tub again! No hot-tubbing while preggo- can't hardboil babies. I love the water and this class. Motherhood and pregnancy are like a club you join, pregnancy is like your initiation to the club. I love chatting with all the ladies. Lots of us that have had our babies get together with the babies, which is lots of fun, and we go to the baby showers of the other girls. I have a feeling we will be attending a lot of 1st birthday parties next year!!


Casey is also now taking a bottle of breastmilk from Ryan, which means he can do some night feeding, so I can sleep longer!! He is a pro, sucked down the first one he got! (Sorry Kelly). Since I have to return to work the middle of Feb, this is very important for daycare.


We finally bought Casey's crib mattress...the first time he slept in his crib he slept 10-6:30!! Ryan had checked on him at 2, and I then checked at 5:30 to make sure he was breathing! He has not slept through again though. His routine is bed at 10, up at 3, then up somewhere between 6-8, then he takes a long morning nap. Well that has been this past weeks schedule. He is really good at getting himself to sleep, I put him in bed awake and he usually grunts a lot and falls asleep. Sometimes I have to go in and give him a pacifier to help.


I am really excited to go see my family the end of this month!! My parents are flying Casey and I over....yep, I am flying with an infant! Then Ryan will join us for his long weekend. The cousins will be reunited!!

Well, thats all I have for now...