Ramblings....

I started my new job this week.  Love.It. LOOOOVE.  I’m trying to refrain from talking about how much I love it on Twitter because I don’t want to be annoying.

Cooper is on a waiting list for daycare.  I am relieved that we finally took tours and made a decision.  We didn’t have a HUGE array of choices, since he’s only going part time, but we did really like the places that we toured.  The waiting list is 15-20 kids though.  And they couldn’t give us any idea of how long it would be…she did say that several are siblings, so they have to be able to get in at the same time, so we’d probably be in ahead of them.  AND since he is only part time, that could be beneficial OR not, so we will see how it goes.  In the meantime, he is in MDO.  The month of August, however, he will not be in anything, so we are trying to get Lee’s mom to stay with us a few days a week for a couple of different weeks to help take the load off my dad.  He has reached his limit.  Unfortunately.

I need to do a real blog update.  With PHOTOS!  I know posts are always more fun with photos, but I have to do those from home, and I just haven’t made the time to blog in a while.

I am at a weird point with weight loss.  I don’t think I’ve blogged about this, but I’ve lost just over 30ish lbs since February.  That was the remainder of the baby weight plus about 10 lbs under my wedding weight (which was the heaviest I’d ever been).  I still have about 15ish lbs that I would LIKE to lose, but I just don’t know if that will happen right now.  I’m at a point where I feel good in clothes again.  No, I am not super thin, which I will fully admit is where I want to be.  But, I have not lost weight in about 6 weeks.  And I know that is because I haven’t really been trying.  But, I don’t really feel like busting my butt to lose the weight, which is what would have to happen.  Not that I’m lazy, but by the time I DID lose the weight, we’d want to get pregnant again, so it’s kind of like, what’s the point?  If I were to lose the weight, I would have to work (hard) to maintain it as it is, let alone being pregnant.  (Not that I am going to go off the deep end when I do get pregnant again.  Last time I gain 50 lbs.  I won’t let myself do that again.  It was wholly unnecessary, and only happened because I ate any- and everything!)  The point is, that I feel good with where I am right now.  And, I love food.  Love love love it.  So, yes, losing weight is hard for me.  Weight Watchers (what I’ve been doing) is hard for me.  There are times that I don’t mind it, but honestly, it is very hard for me to eat that little (in my opinion, for me, the amount of food you’re allowed, it is very little) Yes, it works.  Yes, I do like the plan.  And yes, even if I’m not on a quest to aggressively lose weight at this point, I will maintain my membership and make better food choices.  But, right now, no, I don’t think I’m going to pressure myself to continue the weight loss.  This could be an entire (long) post just on its own…

And so there, I think I just talked myself into not trying to push myself anymore, right now, on losing weight.  I’m going to try the maintenance route right now.  So, thanks for the therapy session :) 

And thanks for accepting my disorganized thoughts and horrible sentence structure on that little talk I had with myself.

Getting used to my new work schedule + commute + actually dropping the baby off with my dad in the mornings is taking some getting used to.  And, I have learned my lesson and will never again forget something at the grocery store on the weekends.  I had to pick up ONE thing I forgot after work on Monday, and it was terrible.  Horrible traffic, and had to go way out of my way on a super busy highway.  I was no bueno to be around when I got home that night.

But, I am good with my new work schedule.  Because?  I love my new job! Did I mention that?

A New Trick

We always talk to Cooper about his toes. I mean, come on, what’s cuter than baby toes? Nothing. We count them, do the little piggie thing with them, you know, the usual.

Well, last week, my dad said “toes” to Cooper, and he bent down and touched his toes! So cute, right?! I just love watching him learn, it’s amazing how their little minds work.

I caught it on video the other night and wanted to share. It’s a little shakey; he doesn’t slow down these days, even for a photo op.

Checking out his toes!

First Project

The biggest thing that needed to be done at the house was a fence.  As I’ve mentioned, all the houses here have smaller yards, so there wasn’t much privacy in the backyard.  And, the neighbors behind us didn’t have blinds, so we would see right into their house.  That was weird. (It was even weirder the first couple of days we lived here, when WE didn’t have blinds either.  We quickly went out and got some!)

And, we have 2 dogs who are used to running free in a big yard.  They weren’t too keen on only being able to go outside with a leash on.  They hated it actually!  It was so unlike them to not even want to go outside at all.  They would run from us when we got their leashes out!

We checked around some and determined to build it ourselves.  (And by “ourselves”, I mean Lee, my dad, my brother, and my fabulous friend’s fabulous husband.  Ashley is nowhere in that “our”.  I did take Lee water 398723501735 times though, and I got a sunburn, so I think I did my part)

I was SO IMPRESSED with these men!!  Seriously, they knocked that fence out in no time, and in extremely hot temperatures.  It was over 100* both days.  They worked from about 5am-3pm on Saturday, and 8am-3pm on Saturday.  They built the back and one side (one of our neighbors already had one side built) and two gates. 

We owe these people.  BIG time.

The west side.  By the time I woke up at 7am, they already had all of the post holes dug and had set most of the posts.Across the back (south side).  See how close our neighbors are?  Not to mention that HUGE liability of an open coy pond that Cooper could just fall right in to at any time.The west side around 11am.  Already putting the pickets up!West side finished!Getting started on the south sideThis was how much they had done by the end of day one!  I was so surprised it was almost finished!All finished!!  Isabelle and Zoe were SO excited!  Haha :)  (that weird line of dead grass is where they buried our cable line the week before)They even did gates on both sides of the house.  These are what they worked on the second day, along with completing the second half of the south side.Gate #2

We are forever indebted to the guys that helped us.  It was so much work, and it was SO.HOT. outside.  We are so grateful for all of their help!

I know it’s just a fence, but it makes us feel so much more at home here.  The dogs can run around and hang out with us when we hang out back there.  We didn’t have a really useable patio, let alone a covered patio, at the old house, so we are really enjoying it here!

I have big plans for the little outdoor space we have here :) They are probably like 5-10 year plans, but they are already formulating in my mind.  Much to Lee’s excitement! :)

Getting Situated

Well, we’re all moved in to the new house!  And I mean that in the most basic terms possible.  Meaning, all of our belongings are at the new house.  Whether they are unpacked, let alone organized, well, that’s another story :)

I’ve discovered that I have no idea how to live life with a pantry, a walk in closet, and a host of other spaces that I’ve never had before.  The only rooms that are completely unpacked are the kitchen, and of course Cooper’s room.  The kitchen took me several days, because I would open a box, see what was inside and then stare around like, what do I do with this?  Is it supposed to go in the pantry?  And then I’d just stare some more.  While I’m on the subject, I told Lee the other night that I feel like people with pantries always have good food and snacks, so I keep walking into ours thinking there will be fun snacks, only to be disappointed that the best snack is a can of Gerber Lil Crunchies that Cooper will sometimes share with me.

We’re getting used to our new location also.  Our old house, which my dad calls the “city house”, was pretty much right in the center of work and shopping, and we never had to travel far for either.  Work was 10 minutes down the road, malls and shopping centers were just a mile away, and the grocery store was in the neighborhood, quite literally.  Target was only half a mile away.  I know.  Lucky.  The new house, which my dad calls the “country house”, is not really in the country, but it’s about as far out as you can get while still being in the city limits.  We had to go to the rural water department, with the deed for the house, to set up the water.  The city also doesn’t take care of garbage, so we have to call an independent trash company.  There is a huge horse pasture across the street from our neighborhood.  In the past 5 days, we have seen countless horses, lots of cows, and even….a llama!  No joke.  We have to plan trips “into town” to grocery shop, go to the mall, etc.  We’re not great at the planning part yet, but we’ll get used to it.  The drive to work is now 30 minutes, which is still not bad, but much different than the old commute.  And, if you’re the one taking Cooper to my dad’s in the morning, it’s an hour.  I have been dropping him off, and Lee has been picking him up, so it works.  And, I don’t mind the drive at all in the morning.  Gives me some time to wake up.  And there’s a Starbucks on the way :)

We have some really nice neighbors.  Several of them have gone out of their way to come over and meet us.  I love it.  There are lots of kids, and a family across the street has a one year old little boy!  And when you go for a walk, everyone waves and says hi and asks how you are.  Perfect :)

We don’t have a fence yet.  That is supposed to happen this weekend, and it couldn’t be soon enough.  You might be surprised to learn that I’m impatient. (insert sarcastic font here )  And I can’t handle walking the dogs around on their leash for 5 million hours while they decide if they want to go potty or not.  And, our houses are pretty close together, so the backyard neighbors are like, right there.  We can all see into each others’ windows.  Yes, unfortunately we have a smaller yard.  We would love to have a lot of land, but compromises always have to be made, and that’s the biggest thing we gave up.  It could be worse.

I am itching to start doing some decorating.  Everything is builder grade and builder neutrals, which is fine, but it’s not really me.  I need some color up in there.  I really want to paint first, but painting this house is a little different than painting our old house (which I painted no less than 4 times in the 4 years we lived there).  We have high ceilings, and a 2 story entry that I have no idea how to paint up to the top.  Scaffolding maybe?  Oh, then there’s that little fear of mine.  Heights.  So that should be interesting.  I’m not sure when any of that will actually happen, but you can bet I’ll keep you informed :)