I am so tired, and READY for the New Year!

It is hard some days, and some days it is easy. That is the way that it is supposed to be. It makes looking forward to those easy days worthwhile. I love it. I live for it. My family has been amazing this past year, and years before of course. This past year in particular because of the challenges that my family has faced. We have overcome hurdle after hurdle. When I didn't we would make it through, we did. It was not without the support of our family and friends. It brings a tear to my eye, okay that's a lie it brings a flood of tears. I am overwhelmed with emotion when I look back at how many of our family members were there to support us. So.... Thank you!

My family is doing well, Averie is getting so big. She will be two in a couple of months. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up. Anessa will be 17, and although she is still growing up into the young woman she will become, she is beautiful and very smart. I look forward to watching her playing at San Jose State. Those games are going to be so much fun. Brian is doing well. He is working hard, and trying everything he possibly can to get this family back on track. It has been very hard. We have been a 3 year roller coaster ride, and every year seems to be better than the last, but man it's tough. I am very optimistic for the New Year.

I have not been blogging because I have needed to focus on my family, and personal well being. All of these challenges have taken a toll on all of us. Luckily I have some great people in my life to help me stand my ground and make good decisions. You know who you are, and Thank you! Hopefully I will be able to blog more in the New Year. I am not making any promises, but like I said I am optimistic.

Our jobs should be improving this year, or else there will be some big changes in the coming New Year. Big changes are just around the corner. Everyone's health needs to improve, eating better has got to become a priority. Organic may be a little expensive, but that does not mean we cannot be healthy. Nothing to difficult, I struggle with finding time for things that are too complicated, so simple and healthy.

The Christmas tree is up, the shopping is almost done, and we have made Christmas goodies. I even managed to get the Christmas cards out on time. I think I am ready for Christmas and the New Year. More than ready.

It worked!

Candle Re-use:
I have all these Bath and Body candles that are all used. I have just been hanging onto them, waiting for the time to clean them out. I found this Pinterest post months ago on how to do it, and well this last weekend found the time and it worked. It was so easy.

1) Put the candle in the freezer for an hour
2) Pry the candle wax out with a butter knife. Be CAREFUL you don't crack the glass. The wax should be  pretty easy to get out. Putting the candle in the freezer makes the wax shrink and pull away from the sides.
3) Wash it out with a paper towel and water.
4) Take baby oil and scrub the inside with a paper towel. It should come off really easy. I used a paper towel because I did not want to ruin my sponge.
5) Take one more paper towel and dry out the candle holder. You can also use windex (as shown in the back round) TADA!!!!

Failure.....

I failed. I was supposed to write everyday in October, and well it is obvious that I did not. It happened like this. Anessa came home sick. Then I started to feel under the weather. Then I went to my parents house for dinner, and that is when we discovered that Averie did not feel well. Then we were all sick. Then my mother got sick. I used all of my saved sick time at work, for the 4 days I had to take off. It was awful. 3 weeks later and I still have a nagging cough. I feel a ton better than I did 2 weeks ago. Wheew! That was exhausting.

Needless to say, I am back to blogging. Not much going on so you did not miss much. Oh! Halloween. I will post pictures of Averie's first Halloween experience tomorrow. The photos are being held hostage on my camera. Like they always are. *laughs* I think I have a teaser on my phone. She is my little Bumble Bee.

 I am sure there is going to be a lot coming up, hopefully I do not get lazy and "forget" to post. I will try my very best during this busy time of year.

Wordless Wednesday {Need I say more} wk 17

Is that not the most confusing title for a post ever! Man there is just way to much going on.

These pictures explain themselves. Who do you think is in charge? She is showing cousin Luke who is boss.

                                     (Linking up with Jenni from the Blog, The Paper Mama, and Parenting for Dummies.)

ps. So embarrassing, but that flower thing in the back round is a duvet cover.  We moved this past September and still have a few things left to do on our to do list. Curtains is one of them. The rod is sitting on the floor right in front of the the sliding door. I guess I should get on top of these things if I am going to take pictures.

Must Watermark! Day 6

I was reading a post from "a sorta fairytale", and she brought up watermarking. I kind of ignored it, never thought it was that big of a deal. Then as I read on, I saw that someone had stole shots of her son and was claiming that he was hers. What the heck. I mean that is just ridiculous. I am committing to watermarking from here on out. I would hate for anyone to claim my little girl as their own. She is 100% mine. *big smiles*

I honestly have no idea why someone would do that. I mean people who know you, know that you have a child or not. It is so confusing to me. I guess it is a good thing that I cannot relate. Otherwise I would be just like them. 

So this is my attempt at watermarking. I figured her 20 month photo was a good testing image. I could see how someone would want to use this image. She is a serious bundle of cuteness.

Steps to Watermark:

1. Open Picassa (I downloaded it for free)
2. Select the photo you would like to watermark.
3. Click on the wrench (or commonly needed fixes)
4. Select text.
5. Type in the watermark verbiage.
6. Change to your desired font, size, and color (I use white).
7. Finally, change the transparency.
Tada!!!! You have a Watermark.

Ugh, WHY Monday. Day 3-5

Do you like how I did that. My weekends are just way too busy to blog. Between juggling a 20 month old and watching the oldest play softball. I have my hands full. It was a really good weekend though. Anessa went 10-17 on the weekend. She is smashing the ball these days. I have to say that seeing the way she is hitting the ball right now, makes me that much more excited for the High School season to start. In addition to watching Anessa play. Brian, myself, and the baby watched a couple of college games. Cal vs. San Jose, and Cal vs. Nevada. I love watching the college teams play. They are so competitive compared to the Travel ball games.

Sunday, Averie and I stayed home. It was unpredictable how many games Nessa's team could play, and so I had no idea what I needed to pack. When they have days like that it is easier for me to stay home. I am not a huge fan of pack everything kind of days. So.....instead we ran errands with Grandma. I love going to Target. It is one of the best places to shop. I like the clothes, the toys, well everything. We also went to Safeway, for obvious reasons. We have been going through a gallon of milk every 2 days. It is ridiculous. After all the errands were ran, we headed back to Grandma's house and hung out. Averie had some lunch and very short nap. I napped a little with her. I think that is why I like it at Grandma's house. There is nothing for me to do. If I am at home and Averie is napping. I am off cleaning something, folding something, or washing something. It is always something.

Poor Averie had to sit in her old car seat. Daddy left her big girl car seat in the car he took with him to softball. Geese. I think this one is officially to small to use. She looks like a monster.

Auntie Amber bought Averie this cute top and bottom, so I decided to take some pictures of her in it. Grandma's backyard is the best for staging pictures Unfortunately Averie was not in the best of moods but I still got a couple of cute pictures out of her.  Next weekend we will take more, and some of her in her Halloween costume. That was the plan originally, but like I said she was not up for it. My Little girl is officially 20 months old. I cannot believe how fast time is flying.

@ 20 Months Averie is: Top 10

1. Loving books and being read to. She will grab a book and climb up onto my lap for me to read it to her. She also says book kind of. She goes "boo". We are working on the "K".

2. She also likes to play ball. I can throw it to her and she throws it back. She has a pretty good arm. I swear she says "ball" too. Pretty clear too. I say I guess, because I am so critical. I expect it to sound the same as when I say "ball".

3. Her speech is improving rapidly. She is really catching on quick these days.

4. Standing has improved, I am predicting walking by Halloween. I HOPE! *smiles*

5. She loves the water. The only problem with her being a water bug, is that she wants to swim in the big people pool. We put her pool out for her, and within minutes she darts off to the big pool.

6. She has 3 teeth, her two bottom ones, and a top molar. We noticed last night that she is finally getting her top teeth. Thank goodness. I was wondering if they were going to come in at all. It makes sense actually, she has been pretty grumpy lately.

7. Eating habits are excellent. She eats most table foods. Except for fast food. She uses a fork pretty well. I still have to stab the food for her, but she is getting the hang of it.

8. Starting to DANCE! This past weekend, she was dancing up a storm. It was too funny. I will post the video later this week.

9. Every time someone claps, she claps. Especially at Softball games. She likes to see good plays too.

10. Kisses. My favorite. Daddy and I are getting lots of kisses these days. She is so loving.

It's Friday, Friday, Friday! Day2 {21 for 31}

I am so glad that it is Friday. Ready for a fun filled weekend. Anessa has softball, and her college is playing at the same complex, so we are going to watch both. San Jose and Cal play right before Anessa's game starts on Saturday. Should be fun. I am also going to finally post some photos of the house. It is slowly getting to completion. However, now it is being decorated for Halloween.

I am so excited this is the first year that I am really decorating. Oh! and I am going to take some pictures of Averie in her Halloween costume this weekend. Last years photos were not that great. I am determined to take some great photos this year. Well this is going to be a short post. I got very little sleep last night. Meaning, my brain is not in writing mode.

I can't wait

Here are some videos of Averie that I took last night. I was going to post them tomorrow, but I am not a patient person.

Day 1 for me {31 for 21}

I am ready to raise awareness. I am behind by a couple of days, but I just now found where everyone is going. I am jumping on the train. My daughter Averie has down syndrome, and she is a true blessing, the trick is to not let it define ANYTHING, who you are or who she is. The only difference is that she takes her precious time learning, and needs a little more attention and practice. Which is easy to do. Who does not want to spend more time with their baby. She has her own agenda, that is what I say. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Averie was born perfect. No heart defects, just an extra chromosome. I have read many blogs over the past 12 months, and I could not imagine going through what some of the other families have gone through. I just don't think I am strong enough to handle those hurdles. I commend those families. Your strength is relentless. I have a special place in my heart for those families. One thing that does not change is the love. Man, if I could describe the love I have for this little girl. We are talking crossing oceans, climbing mountains, and fighting off great whites. Was that a step too far. Oh well. I would go to great lengths for her. So with that said. Let's get the word out there. The best blessings are always in disguise. Mine is 33 inches long, 23lbs, and perfect.

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Wordish Wednesday {18 months} wk16

Averie is technically 19 3/4 months old, but we just had her 18 month check up. She is doing fantastic. Her head is 18 inches {50 percentile}, she weighs 23 lbs {25 percentile}, and she is 33 inches long {75 percentile}. They are continuing to use a typical child growth chart, so these percentiles are based off of that. She has a ton of personality. She smiles a lot, loves to laugh, and enjoys being read to, and listening to music. She has just started to enjoy watching the Sprout channel. Her favorite shows are the Pajanimals, and Thomas the Train. She also watches Angelina, and Chloe's Closet. However she is not as interested in the actual show. She enjoys the opening music more.

She loves all types of food. She is using a fork, but would prefer to use her hands. I would say her favorite food is pasta. Especially Grandma's spaghetti sauce. She gobbles that all up.We give her fruit for dessert. Trying to keep her away from processed sugars. Dad likes to step in and give her ICECREAM though. 

Grammy takes Averie to My Gym, Music class, and the Library for story time. Averie loves being read to. She moves right up to the front row of story time and is very attentive. She also likes to touch the books. She gets visits from a speech therapist, her PT, and teacher, almost every week. She has grown really close to all of them. They are all like her family. I really appreciate all that they are doing for her. More blessings.

Averie goes to bed at about 7-7:30 every night. We have a pretty good routine. Dinner, bath, bottle {I know this is bad, she uses a cup throughout the day, bottles only come in to the picture at bedtime.} we watch some shows on Sprout, and then it is bedtime. I spoil her at night, I rock her to sleep. I know she is supposed to be learning to self soothe, but it is my only time with her after work. I take advantage of every minute. She is a great sleeper. She gets up around 6:30 every morning. Unless she is teething then she will usually get up once in the middle of the night. Super lucky there.

Speaking of teeth, my little girl has two front bottom teeth and one molar. Poor baby right. I am waiting for those two top teeth patiently.

What else......

Oh, she loves to throw her ball back and forth. She is standing independently, she can stand on her own, and stand from a squatting position. I swear it is only a matter of time before she starts walking. I am waiting patiently for that one too. I would love for her to be walking by Halloween. She is going to be a bumble bee, and boy is she going to be the cutest bumble bee. She loves to play with her older sister. Dad has been working hard all week, so their time has been cut short. When he gets home, generally I become invisible and she wants only Daddy. She is our love bug.

This is my little girl eating grapes.

{Linking up with The Paper Mama, Jenni from the blog, Parenting by Dummies.}

Back on track we go.

Prepped beef stew last night, and turned the crock pot on this mornng. Now all I have to make is the mashed potatoes. I love easy dinners. They are a life saver. Grammy has been a huge help too. She has been staying late with Averie so I can get some small tasks accomplished. Like prep the veggies for the stew. I have no idea where I would be without her. I think that tonight I might be able to watch a couple of shows and take a quiet shower. I am so excited about a quiet shower. That is after I take Nessa to softball practice, peel potatoes, and straighten a little.

Last nights Booster meeting went well too. I think that the other ladies get a kick out of my humor. I actually heard one of the ladies call me a dork. Supringly I was not offended. I am not sure if I should have been. Oh well right. I think it best that I not over think it.

Brian has been busy working. We all have. I cannot wait to get home to my little girl. Man...I miss her during the day. Last night I was playing with her before my meeting and she smiled at me so much I could not help but smile back. How could I not miss that. She is infatuated with the Sprout channel. She loves Chica, and the Pajanimals. She also like the opening of Thomas the Train. It is so fun to watch.

Getting it all out there....

I think I need to release all of my thoughts. Just let them loose. Then maybe I can feel like I am all caught up. Not sure if this will actually work, but what is the harm in trying.

Here it goes.....

This is what is going on with me directly. I am working, the Treasurer of the Sheldon High School Softball Booster Club, (we have a meeting tonight actually.). I look forward to these meetings actually. It is kind of my way of getting out of the house and socializing with other adults. It makes me feel pretty important too. I think getting those kind of affirmations is important. At home I don't feel needed or important even though I am. I am sure that is a whole other issue.

Brian and I have been talking about another baby. I don't really feel the need to make a solid decision at this time. I would like to wait until Averie is at least two and a half before we even consider getting pregnant again. I have so many thoughts on another baby and I just don't know if we would be doing it for the right reasons. I want to give Averie everything I can and I feel like another baby would take away from that. I guess when the time comes I will know.

We are all moved in and seem to be doing well. The house is coming along quite nicely. I will be taking some pictures of it this weekend and posting them. I decided to make a gallery wall in the hall. I just need to buy a black K to complete it. Based on the research I have done thus far, I may have to paint my own. Who would have thought that a wooden K would cost upwards of 32 bucks. I just do not have that kind of moola to spend on something like that.

Money wise we are doing well. We have made a few deadlines for ourselves, and they seem to be getting met. I figure if we go slow we will get back on track in no time. The idea is to go slow, and steady, and make sure that we make the RIGHT decisions this time around. I am so impatient, I am so tired of trying, and trying, and seeing no result. We are changing the way we live. I think that it is a good thing though. We have got to get to simpler place. We are pretty much credit free, except for the car. Which is a huge advantage.

My Grandmother is down all week to watch Averie. Brian is working hard and Grammy said she would help out. That woman amazes me. She had surgery on her finger last Thursday, and is still here playing and loving my little girl. She told me last week that when she goes to many days without seeing Averie, her whole week feels off. She misses her a ton. How could you not miss her, she is precious. Averie and Grammy are still going to My Gym, Music class, and once Grammy's finger heals they will be starting Aqua Therapy. I am excited for this Friday. Averie has her 18 month check up. I cannot wait to see how much she has grown.

Anessa has been busy too. She played powder puff. Which naturally induced drama, she had practices that conflicted with softball, and her grades started to slip. I this she is getting back on track, but like everything else in life. Time will only tell. She is also still playing softball for the Nor-cal Patriots. We are in Tournament season so weekends are pretty packed, nothing new there. The weekends that she does have off are filled with Homecoming dances, homework, and Umpiring. She did some training over the summer so that she could umpire for a little extra cash. She enjoys it so how could we say no. She is also on her last leg of drivers training. I guess will will have to bite the bullet and let her drive. Ugh,dreading, dreading, dreading.

What else, as if this is not enough. I am sure there are things that I am missing. Okay. Whew!  I feel kind of caught up. I am so sorry to everyone, I am sure no one is as interested in the details of my life as I am. I just needed this. I am not sure what I think it was going to accomplish, but it's done now.

Wordless Wednesday {Bottle for Baby & Mommy} wk 15

Need I say more. My weeks have been long and tiring. My Husband and kids are the loves of my life, but they drain me until nothing is left. So... at the end of the night I feed Averie dinner, I grab something small. Then we both get bottles. Mommy a Pacifico and Averie a little 2 percent.

As busy as we have been lately I am surprised I have the energy to even grab a bottle opener, but I manage some how. *smiles*

This week is no different then the last three. Which you all would not know much about because I have been absent to the blogging world. I think I am all geared up to get back on the buggy. Just in time for Halloween. This will be the first year that I REALLY decorate. Should be so much fun. I promise that some better photos are coming too. These IPHONE pics are a little depressing.

                                   (Linking up with The Paper Mama, Parenting by Dummies, and Jenni from the Blog)

Weekend Wrap-up

I do not even know where to begin. I have been a mess, and busy, and completely off the grid lately. I have neglected this blog for sure. I think the dust has settled enough that I can get back on track. I hope.

The battery in my camera has been dead for some days now. Averie is 18 months old and I still have not had her 18 month photos taken. I have to schedule that soon.

Brian and I went to Dinner and movie on Saturday. My Mom and Dad were nice enough to watch Averie for us, and Anessa had Homecoming. All the kids were accounted for. We went to Red Robin. Yummo!! Then to see, "Trouble with the Curve." I liked it a lot, definitely a buyer when it comes out on DVD. I am a sucker for the Baseball movies, and this one featured our favorite team of all time. The Atlanta BRAVES!

Sunday we went over to my Parents again for dinner. I am very spoiled, they take such good care of us. I love spending time with them.

Going back a few days. The Space Shuttle the Endeavor flew over my building downtown last week. It was really cool to see. One of the pictures of the shuttle is below. There are also a couple of other random shots from the weekend. Like I said in a previous post. I have been lazy when it comes to taking pictures. I just feel like my time is so short these days.

I meant RANDOM and these pictures are random.

Anessa and Brooke going to Homecoming

Space Shuttle Endeavor

The smallest fry ever. This is what comes in a Happy Meal now.

Averie sleeping just like her Daddy.

Wordless Wednesday {Ms. Attitude} wk 14

This is my Little Ms. Tude. Ms. Attitude that is. She is too cute for words. 

 

Linking up with Jenni from the Blog, and Parenting by Dummies.

Mini-Vacation

The family took a mini-vacation to Santa Cruz last Wednesday. We stayed for three days,and it was not really a vacation. It was nice to get away for a couple of days. The hotel life is nice sometimes, no bed making, bathroom cleaning, or cooking! Wednesday we all went to the beach, boy oh boy the water was cold, and sand got everywhere. Averie even tried eating it. Yuck! She was not a big fan of the water. Grammy spoils her with the nice 75 degree pool water. That was pretty much all we did on Wednesday. Thursday Brian, Averie, and I took a drive on the coast, and had lunch at this great Burger place. It was called, "burger." Yes. burger (period). Brian had a "Chuck Norris." It gave him a kick. Get it? Hahaha.

Thursday evening we went to the Boardwalk. It was super busy. Not my cup of tea.

Here are some pictures of the trip. Most of them are of Averie. I love to photograph that little girl. They all decided to mess with Luke and turn him into a mermaid. Look at the picture for explanation. Sorry that this post was hanging for so long. I just took the pictures off of my camera this weekend.

Averie being dipped. She was not a fan of the water at first.

Precious little girl.

Luke as a Mermaid.

This was just for fun.

Cheese!

Now... she likes the ocean.

Braving the waves with Daddy.

Luke Dodging the waves.

Week in Insta-pics {Organized Mess}

I am a serious slacker these days. Who would have thought that organizing a house would be so hard. I am having to cruise Pinterest to find ideas, and buy all sorts of gadgets to make everything fit. It is fun when I have the time. My nights are pretty consumed with baby feeding, baths, and bedtime stories. Although I do enjoy those times, my organizing has suffered.

The plan for the weekend is Softball. Yes it is that time of the year again where the family is consumed by softball. Luckily I am not tired of watching Anessa play. I look forward to every game where she starts.

This weekend is also my brother's 16th Birthday. So there will be a BBQ on Sunday for him. He is doing something on Saturday too but softball interferes with those plans. He will have to wait to get his gift on Sunday. I sure he can handle the suspense.

In the old house I had a calendar on the cabinet that mapped the month for us. We are so busy individually, that we had to have something to keep us in line. When taking down that "life saver" it ripped. I broke down today and bought a new reusable one. I can see the future now. Things are going to get messy fast with out it. I found it on Amazon, from the Board Dudes. Cool name right.

Averie has a back molar coming in, so I think that explains the weird behavior lately. She is clingy and irritable. I don't mind her being clingy. I rather like it when she wants to be with me ALL THE TIME. So, the status on her teeth is that she has her two bottom front teeth, and the one back molar. It is strange the way they are coming in. I swear that there is a front top one coming in too. But I can not tell for sure.

I am a slacker ya'll. I have been so bad about taking photos. I hope everyone understands. I mean this moving thing has taken a serious toll. 

{Brief rundown, I bought that calendar from Amazon, the cell phone case also Amazon, because mine broke, that cutie is Averie watching Pajanimals, then the pavement and car was 9/6, cereal and coffee all over me and the car. Not a good way to start the day.}