Merry Christmas 2007!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We did! Christmas Eve we headed down to my parents’ house after Courtney woke up from her nap. Susan and Zak had arrived mid-day. So, we all had a very nice dinner of prime rib, veggies, etc… Afterwards we each opened our traditional one gift and then we had to head for home because it was someone’s bed time. My gift I opened was a new slim digital camera. I have wanted one that will fit in my purse so that I always have a camera with me, since you just never know when it might be beneficial to have one with Courtney around. AND it’s pink!! Very exciting!

Christmas morning didn’t come too early. Courtney is still a little to young to understand the whole Santa & presents thing. So, this year, she didn’t wake us up at the crack of dawn. Now next year may be another story. We shall see!

After getting up and getting ready we ate breakfast together and then dived into the gifts. We all got some great things, thank you very much to all of you!!!

After we finished up the gifts we had under our tree, we cleaned up and then headed down to my parents’ house. Once we all got settled there, the great gift opening began! Again, wonderful stuff from everyone! Thank you!! Oh, and it snowed all day at our house, so we did have a white Christmas!

Courtney isn’t getting the unwrapping thing yet. At our house she would rip the paper off a few but that was about it. We got her to rip some paper off one gift at my mom’s house, but then she was done. We put her down for a nap and she slept a good 2 hours. That gave the rest of us time to unwrap all our gifts and clean up. So, when Courtney woke up, she came downstairs to all these new toys! One of the gifts she got is a kitchen set. She just loves it! She has all ready “made” all kinds of stuff, including smoothies in the blender which she then pretends to drink straight from the blender! It’s so cute!

We brought our dogs down with us as well. We were supposed to have Greg’s dog, Romeo, because he and his girlfriend, Tania, were flying to Vegas Christmas Day. But on Christmas Eve, their flight got cancelled, so we didn’t get Romeo until today, when they could finally get a flight out. Since Greg and Tania had planned on being out of town, they didn’t have plans for Christmas Day. So, we invited them to Christmas dinner at my parents’ house. It was fun!

We finally got all the dogs, presents and kid packed up and we hit the road around 8pm. Courtney was so exhausted she fell asleep on the way home. But the first thing she did when she got up this morning was go to her new kitchen, and talk on her new Elmo phone.

Hubby and I went and got pedicures for my Birthday treat. Then we ran one errand and headed back home. Nana was kind enough to come stay with Courtney while we did that. After Nana left, we put Courtney down for a nap and I did the same thing. I have been fighting getting a cold so some extra sleep sure didn’t hurt!

Tonight we went to Musashi for dinner. Its Japanese cuisine and they have the Tappan grill where they cook the food at your table. Gerard, my Irish cousin, likes Chinese food a lot, so we thought he would enjoy seeing the Japanese cooking style. He said he enjoyed the food, but it did have a bit of a salty taste.

After dinner we came back here for cake and gifts. I got all kinds of good stuff again, but my favorite is a new vacuum cleaner. I know, you know you are old when you ask for a vacuum for Christmas/Birthday and you get it AND you are excited about it! Anyway, it’s a Dyson so I am super stoked to try it out in the morning. I have several friends who rave about theirs!

After the crew headed out, Hubby and I sorted through all of Courtney’s toys and boxed up the ones she is now too old for or does not have interest in right now. That made lots of room for her new Christmas gifts.

My mom (Nana) discovered today that Courtney sings Twinkle Twinkle little star! Ok, it comes out more like ‘Tinkle Tinkle Star’ but she gets it! And she says ‘up high’ and raises her arms! It’s very amazing!!! She also can go down the stairs without help. She sits at the top of the stairs, turns around, and slides down feet first on her belly. One of us is right there with her, but typically we don’t have to intervene in her trip down the stairs!

It’s been a wonderful last week! New car, new camera, new vacuum! I am one lucky girl! I hope all of you got one good thing from your wish list this year! Now we only have 364 days until Christmas again!!! J

3 days till Christmas

Well, there sure have been lots of changes here recently! I apologize that it’s been so long since my last blog. You know how the holiday’s get!

Let’s see, since I last posted what has happened? Did I mention before that we adopted a family for the holidays at work? There is a program here in town, and we picked a family off their list. It was a family of 6 (mom, dad, and 4 kids). The list provided their sizes, what they need and what they wish for Christmas. 3 of us from work went to Target and spent just over $500 on the whole family. Mom needed shoes and a jacket. Dad needed a jacket. The kids needed shoes and clothes, and they wanted a few toys and books. We were able to be in contact with their family advocate to ask questions. So, in emailing with her I knew they also needed a new microwave and they did not have a DVD player. So, we got them those items as well. We got each kid a lot of clothes and 1 toy each, and a book each. We got them a few family movies to go with the DVD player as well. Since you can borrow DVD’s from the library for free, we thought that was a great idea! My friend helped me to wrap it and last Wednesday I delivered it to the program’s headquarters. A few days later in the mail we received a nice letter from the family including pictures drawn by all the kids. What a warm fuzzy feeling that gives you!

Friday turned into not such a fun day. Day care called saying Courtney had a fever of 100+. So, I had to go and pick her up. She was just not herself. She was like a big bowl of Jell-O. We came home and spent the next 24 hours just rocking. She was all ready on antibiotics from her ear infections, so the nurse told me it was probably one of the shots that were causing the fever and miserableness. I felt so bad for her; she was feeling awful you could just tell. It took her a few days to finally perk back up again!

We had our holiday party for work last Saturday. We went to Mr. Biggs family fun center. It is an indoor place that is kind of like a playground for kids and adults. They have go karts, mini golf, games, bowling, etc. They also have a kids area designed for younger kids. After we ate dinner, Courtney spent a lot of time in there. It has lots of different rooms with all different themes. She really enjoyed it a lot!

Sunday I had another craft wrapping party. I got most every gift wrapped that I had. I had a few last minute things I picked up yesterday. Kelly came over and wrapped for I think 4 solid hours! She had a few gifts! Her SUV was full to the gills to get home again!

My friend Linda also came over and she worked on finishing her Christmas cards. She hand makes all her cards. She completed those too! So, a few of us got a few things accomplished!

Thursday night we had our Annual Reunion of Friends dinner (ARF). We have a Christmas dinner every year with friends. We had it at the same restaurant as last year. It was a lot of fun! This year we collected Pajamas and books for the Pajama program. We ended up with a large box of books and pajamas. The program will then give a pair of PJ’s and a book to kids who go into foster care with nothing, right here in the Colorado Springs area.

Yesterday another snow storm moved in fast. It brought not much snow but lots of wind. Waking up this morning, you can’t tell we got another 3 inches of snow, probably because it all blew away! The wind was howling last night. We had a few friends over for dinner and a few games. We were all in comfy warm clothes, and we made chocolate chip cookies. It was a warm comfy night to be at home with friends playing games.

Other big news is that last night we signed the paperwork for a new (to me) car! We sold my Kia Sephia and purchased a 2003 Kia Optima. My old Kia was still running great, but it didn’t have any safety features for the back seat for the car seat. The Optima has the anchors. I wouldn’t even put the car seat in my Sephia. So, the plan was to get a newer car before the end of the year. It helps that I have a good friend whose husband is a car salesman. He got us such a good deal that by the time it was all said and done, the dealership is making $150 on the car! So, we are now the proud owners of a 4 door black Optima. It has a moon roof, and power windows, locks, etc. It’s like riding in luxury! It needs my stuff in it to make it feel more like mine, which I plan to take care of today. My dog paw print car seat covers are in the dryer as we speak. I will get my rescue magnet on the back and a few more things inside and it will really feel like mine! Oh, and it has a V6 engine, so it’s got some get up and go!

My mom’s cousin arrived from Ireland on Tuesday. He is here visiting for 2 weeks for Christmas. He is a very nice, funny guy! We haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time with him yet, as work and car buying has kept us busy, but next week I look forward to spending much more time with him!

My sister and Zak hit the road today to drive our way! They should arrive some time on Christmas Eve! I look forward to having them here as well. It’s always great to have family around!

The kid amazes us every day. Her vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds! Today her new word is ‘gotcha’! I swear you tell her a word once and she’s got it! I can’t even tell you all the words she knows, there are too many. And now she is getting good at animals and the sounds they make! I just love her, she is so cute!!!

Speaking of which, she is over playing with her daddy, and I think I want to go and join in the fun!

Too close to home...

Well, if you don’t live in a hole, you know about all the recent events here. How close to home did it hit? WAY to close. Courtney’s day care shares a parking lot with New Life Church. The parking lot next to the day care was full of emergency equipment Sunday night. They commandeered the day care center as a command post. The FBI, ATF, fire department, and police department were all working in the day care until 4am Monday morning!

I took Courtney to daycare Monday morning. The campus police arrived shortly before me and apparently stood guard all day. That made me feel a bit better. As of Monday morning, we weren’t sure if everyone involved was caught, heck we didn’t even know who the shooter was. I was a little upset about leaving her there Monday, but everything has settled down now. The whole situation is a bit scary all together!

Back to what we have been up to, it was a super busy weekend here. Friday night, it was snowing, and 3 of our cadets came over. Saturday morning we woke up and it was still snowing. I was supposed to go to the open house at our Agility building, but I got out on the roads and they were awful. So, I turned around and went home.

That evening, Hubby went a picked up 2 more cadets! Yes, we had 5 cadets here Saturday night into Sunday. Things were feeling a bit crazy around here, but we got through. Sunday morning we had a big breakfast, and mid-day the group of 3 cadets went out and played in the snow for a while. Once they came back cold and wet, they all took hot showers and then headed back to the Academy. The group of 2 stayed through dinner, and then we took them back. After dropping them off at the Academy, we stopped at Target for a few items we needed.

Monday was a nice day, which helped some of the snow melt. But, by the time Maggie and I left for Agility Monday night around 7:30pm it was snowing again. We woke up to snow this morning, and lots of school delays. However, Courtney had a doctors appointment first thing, so there was no delay in getting on the roads for us. This appointment today was her 15 month check up. She has had a slight runny nose the last few days. We told the doctor about that. She looked in Courtney’s left ear and said, ‘well, that one’s infected’ then she looked in the right and said ‘that one’s infected too’! Ugh. But Courtney didn’t have a fever, so she was able to get her shots today. She is maintaining being in the 15^th percentile for her weight. Her height is in the 50^th percentile, and her head is in the 70^th percentile! The pediatrician thinks she has come a LONG way, but she is worried about these repeated ear infections. But with her ear infections, it is a wait and see kind of thing.

Well, I have a ton of things to do with the holiday coming up so quick!

That baby is too cute!

We sure have been having strange weather here recently. The other night it was all yellow outside. It was dusk time and for some reason, the way the sun was reflecting, everything looked yellow. It was rather odd. Then Tuesday we broke a heat record! The record high was 69 degrees set in 1989. Tuesday it reached 71 degrees!

Courtney is so dang cute! Sunday she picked up a purse I had on the floor and put it over her arm, like any woman would, except the purse was dragging on the floor. She walked over to Hubby, kissed him and said, ‘bye-bye’ and waved as she walked away. Then she came up to me, gave me a kiss, and again said ‘bye-bye’ and walked toward the door to the garage waving the whole time. It was so cute! Brian and I were just about rolling on the floor.

Yesterday we were on the way home from daycare. Every time a car would pass us, she would say ‘car’ and then ‘bye-bye’ and would wave at the car as it would pass.

Today she very clearly said ‘Hokie’ for the first time. She has a stuffed Hokie bird in her crib, and a dog we call Radford. She all ready says Radford pretty good, but this morning she told us “hokie” too.

She also calls anything Elmo that she doesn’t know the name of. And she can spot Elmo from a mile away. We have a few Elmo ornaments on our tree now, and as soon as you start walking towards the tree she starts saying ‘Elmo’ and pointing at the tree.

Supposedly at day care the other day, one of the little boys, named John, hit her on the head with a block. She started crying and then said ‘dat John’ (that John).

She is scheduled to move up to the Toddler 1 class after the first of the year. I am still not super excited about this. With the help of her old daycare teacher, I looked at a few other daycares, but with the accreditation Kay recommends, we don’t have any other options nearby. And now with me being a student at the college, we get a discount. So, I guess we will try it out, and if I am really unhappy we will do something about it then.

Tonight, Maggie and Bristol were out in the yard playing. Apparently they got a little wild in their playing. Somehow Maggie ended up with a gash on her rear right hindquarter. Thankfully it was still early enough in the day that the vet was still open. So, off we went to the Vet. He said she would need a few staples. So, we left Maggie in their care while the 3 of us went and had some dinner. When we came back to get her, she was sedated, and 4 staples heavier. She pretty much has been a bowl of Jell-O since. She has been zoned out in the dog bed since we brought her home.

The forecast is predicting snow for the next 4 days on and off. It was getting cloudy tonight.

Well, I am cold, so I am going to go and climb in bed with my heating blanket.

Quiet week

Well, I have been getting rid of things on Craig’s list! I just love that site! I have also been keeping my eye open for a few things we need. I am looking for the perfect table for my new office. I have also been looking for new lamps for our night stands, as hubby just broke the last one we had. We had 2 clip on lights and both have broken now, so I grabbed one out of another room, but it’s a bit too big for my nightstand.

Courtney continues to amaze us. She repeats words we say to her all the time. She is just so cute! Her favorite food is crackers. We get gold round crackers (like Ritz) from Whole Foods. If we let her, she would most likely eat the whole box! I keep telling her one of these days she is going to turn into a cracker! It’s the one word she says so clear, “cracker”. She will even point to the closet where they are. It’s so cute!

At work we ‘adopted’ a family through a program in town. So, Friday, two co-workers and I went to Target and spent $540 for this family of 6. We got them coats, shoes, a microwave, a DVD player and each kid got several outfits and a toy. I will wrap most of it today. It fun to be able to help out a family like this (and not spend your own money!).

Speaking of which, Christmas giving for us will be a bit slimmer this year. It’s been a long year of medical bills, etc. So, please excuse the fact that this year gifts are smaller and fewer!

Today I am having the first wrapping party. The first one today will be a bit smaller, but I think next week will be bigger. I am looking forward to it!

Hubby wants me to say that yesterday we watched Virginia Tech win the ACC championship. Go Hokies!

This past week I also started Physical Therapy on my back. I had two sessions. Today my back is hurting pretty good, so I think I will have to call them tomorrow morning also.

Other than that, things are pretty quiet here. I need to go move laundry and get ready for this afternoon. Hope everyone is well!