Hello, stranger.

WOW. Is it just me, or has it been a while? ;) Hehe. Let's see...what's been going on in our neck of the woods the past few months? Hmmmm....well, we basically didn't get any snow until the past few weeks, so we finally to go out and enjoy winter. Too bad we didn't have a sled or else we could have had lots of fun! Now it's melting though, and it's looking like that sloppy spring weather we all love!

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 Garrett has been growing and changing so much! He's now talking up a storm, even though you cannot understand him some of the time. It's fun to see him pick up on new words and try to say them. Oh, and he got a potty for Christmas...which he has gone on several times, and even poo'd once! We've never been so excited about poo! Haha. He also loves dumping the potty in the toilet because that means he gets to flush the toilet...which he also loves. And washing his hands? That's another obsession he is currently having. Probably because it means he gets to play in water... :)

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Another small snippit is, my husband has a beard. Suprise! Haha. I think it stemmed from the whole "No Shave November" thing, and how my mom and I would not let up about how "hot" Garrett's pediatrician is when he grows out his facial hair in November.....lol. We are terrible, I know. Anyhoo, I've been trying to get him to just have a goatee, but he refuses. We'll see who wins this battle. LOL.

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We've been talking about getting a small trailer for camping. We've wanted one forever...and we found the perfect one at the RV show this month! It doesn't have a slide, but it does have bunk beds and lots of storage. However, it also comes with a payment, which I'm not quite sure we're ready for. We are SO much more on track than ever before when it comes to paying off debts and such, so I'm not sure we should be aquiring MORE debt before paying things off...ya know? So, if we can do some consolidating and planning, we may end up with a trailer this spring. If not, then definitely next spring. We shall see! 

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I'm still struggling with the whole transcription thing. I must admit, it's really tough working with kids at home...even just one kid! I don't know how people with multiple kiddos do it. Seriously, because what happens in my situation is....Garrett ends up watching a lot more TV than I ever thought I would let my kid watch, just so I can get the work done and make a little bit of money. And it's not even a lot of money either, so I'm beginning to wonder if it's even worth it. What to do....what to do....

My little snow bunny!

September

Wow, is it really supposed to be fall already? We've been having some beautiful weather! It's finally summer here and we've been soaking up every minute of the last couple of months outside.  The grass has grown in beautifully and the garden is going crazy too! For months now, I have been waiting for our tomatoes to ripen. We have about 500 of them...all green.  Well, we left for a week and came back yesterday and guess what?! We had about 5 pounds, maybe more of ripe tomatoes! YAY! Now we have more than we can handle...I picked a bunch more today. Luckily for us little G also loves them, in fact we have to stop him from eating too many! The zucchinis are doing great also, and they are growing out of control. I have to dig through all the vines to find them and well, by the time I get to them they are always too big! But you know what they say, anyone can grow zucchinis! Still left in the garden are carrots, peppers, potatoes, beans (planted a late crop, so we'll see) and lettuce (another late crop, very small still!)

I've finally got some time to "blog" a little. In late may/early June I took another transcription job, which made me a very busy person. Getting up at 4 again and everything! Crazy, I know, but I don't actually mind it. Well, the 4 a.m. thing was pretty short-lived, only lasting a couple of months, because then work slowed down tremendously. Which is fine. I was okay with it because it gave some opportunity to do other things.  Garrett and I got to go down to "wine country" for a week with Andy's family, which was FUN! G loves playing with all of his cousins, and they keep him pretty entertained and are great little babysitters! Daddy met up with us on Friday and stayed for the weekend. Hot weather, good wine and great company = fun times! :)  Then this past week Andy had a conference in Seattle, so we got to stay at the "W" in Seattle- fancy-shmancy. You should look it up, we seriously felt out of place while staying there! That weekend we got to see little brother Reece play his first football game at Quest field.  After the weekend G and I stayed with Andy's parents while he went to his conference by day, and partied by night! Seriously, he got to go to socials every night with salmon bbq's, seafood dinners at places like the EMP, the Seattle Aquarium and the Space Needle! What a lucky guy! :) You know, I never was one to enjoy going to school and all, but there is something to be said about having an education. I am so proud of my hunny for sticking it out and getting his masters. He really does have a pretty good job with a lot of great perks too! :) So that pretty much sums up our summer so far, and if we haven't been gone enough, we're leaving again in about 2 1/2 weeks for elk camp! Woo-hoo! Let's hope Andy gets one this year! :)

26

Thought I'd do a little blogging on my 26th birthday, so here goes: In 26 years I have learned...... Life is not about how much money you make, the house you live in, the clothes you wear or the car you drive. It is about family, your relationship with God and being true to yourself. Always. Don't worry about what others think. Have your own opinion and do what is right for you. As a people-pleaser, I find it hard to make any moves in life without thinking "what will they think?" well, who are they anyway? The past few years I have become more and more aware of just how lucky I am and more thankful for life in general. I find myself marveling at this beautiful earth that God made for us to live on and I am just filled with wonder and amazement. Truely, I am blessed, and I think we all are. Be thankful. Because every day that we wake up is a good one. :)

Summer fun!

G and I have been enjoying some beautiful weather this week! The sun is finally out, and I can't get enough of it! We got G a little pool for his birthday so I broke it out and...I think he likes it! :)

Strong man!

Mamma let's go outside!

Checking out the garden...

Cool shades dude! ;)

My little fishy is drying out!

My baby is 1!

Little G's birthday has come & gone. I can't believe my little man is a year old already! The best year of our lives has gone by so fast, I wish life would slow down a little bit but we're also enjoying every new thing that happens and watching Garrett growing up! This was Garrett's second b-day cake, much bigger than the cupcake! Once again, he did not know what to do with it at first, but there was a big mess to follow!

The big mess that followed! ;)

Present opening time was overwhelming. I ended up opening all of them while Garrett wandered back and forth between presents and people!

He LOVES anything soft and cuddly. It's so cute how he cuddles with his stuffed animals!

Playing with cousin Lauren in his new sandbox- minus the sand! He still loves it.

Eating his shark!

Reading a birthday card. Birthday cupcake on his actual birthday. He didn't know what to do with such a large piece of food, so we had to help him get into it! Over all, he didn't eat a bunch of cake like some kids might...

We had been teaching him to blow when something is hot, but once he saw that flame he didn't know what to do!

Opening some shoes.

Is it spring yet?!?!

Just when I think spring is on the way....it starts snowing again! I'm sooo ready for some sunshine and warmer weather! We've been doing some prodjects anyway, putting gutters on the house and doing some more painting! We painted the laundry room, our bedroom and bathroom and finished some touch-ups! Feels good to get some things done around here! The only thing left unpainted will be the guest bedroom, which we are saving for when baby #2 comes along! (Whenever that may be!)

We got this for G for Christmas and just finally got it out. It's a walk n' ride toy. I have to push him around on it which is actually quite the workout! He doesn't seem to love it or hate it though...maybe when he learns how to ride on it himself he will like it more!

His hair is getting so long, he looks like a little hippie! Oh yes, and he loves to "type", although it usually ends up in the keyboard getting all messed up until I restart the computer!

The kid has an appetite!

Growing too fast part II

I spend most days just chasing Garrett around, trying to keep him out of Sadie's water bowl and out of trouble. No easy task, my friends! Here are a few pics....

I was changing the sheets on the guest bed and G decided that they looked pretty comfy!

Ok, how did I get like this?! And how do I get out?!!!

This cupboard is so fun!!!

Mommy bought me new hats...dang it!

Elmer Fudd hat!

Hmmm...what's up here?

Lastly, the garden boxes, all anchored to the ground! Next is the dirt...