The Swainstons

Keep On Swimming

2010-05-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Cory had his last final for spring today. He is very excited to have a few days off. I'm in my last week of student teaching, and then next week I'll be preparing for the interview/presentation thing to exit the program. Madeleine will be done the 21st.

Since we'll all be "done" with things for a few days we are hoping to go for a little vacation to my sisters in D.C. Cory's never been and we thought we'd head up before he starts back up June 1st.

Cory and I had our 7th anniversary this Sunday. We celebrated by going to Iron Man 2 with Madeleine and then out to dinner. We then proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend doing course work or studying for finals.

We have turned into VERY exciting people.

Overall we are doing well, just extremely busy. We are both looking forward to being done, and are hoping that things work out for us.

Hope you are all doing well, wherever you are!

Organization!

2010-03-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today I've spent most the day organizing and re-arranging the desks. I stole the desk we had in Madeleine's room and put it our room. I also stopped by Target to pick up a few random desk organizers. This is all in attempt to better help my situation while I'm in my second placement of student teaching.

During my last placement I had some papers upstairs, some down, and some that moved around throughout the day. I'm going to attempt to have everything in one area this time. Between Cory, Madeleine, and I the kitchen table always seems to be covered by someone's schoolwork. And maybe by having my stuff in one place upstairs, I'll be less distracted.

Madeleine has lost both of her teeth! Sometimes I can't believe how big she is, at least she still likes me. She's been doing great in school and I still find random pictures or crafts that she has hung up in the house.

Cory is workin on a variety of projects. He is trying to get everything done that comes along with taking 18 credit hours, trying to look for summer internships, and looking for jobs for when he finishes in December.

We continue to be busy, and have somehow survived. And once we've finished all we got to worry about is real life jobs... that is it... nothing to worry about... nothing at all...

February What?

2010-02-27T04:37:00.001-08:00

I realize the end of the month is already gone and it seems like it has flown by. Cory is taking 18 credit hours, I'm student teaching and Madeleine doing her school thing, it is a miracle that dishes get done. We are trying to keep our head above water.

Cory was recently diagnosed with adult diabetes, so we have a new diet and exercise that we have to follow. Cory is doing really well, I do too (except for that one week). But this also means that he has lots of doctors and testing that he has to do too. So far, so good.

Madeleine is doing well. She loves to read and Cory works with her nightly on phonics and sounding out words. It snowed the other day, and she was not happy. The "excitement" of snow has worn off this winter, and I must admit I feel the same way. Tired of the cold, ready for spring. This winter has been unusually cold for Knoxville.

I change placements in the middle of March, if I pass of course.

We All Fall Down

2010-02-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

So all those balls that I have been juggling the last few weeks all came down on Tuesday. I had one of those weeks when I feel like another ball is being thrown at me, then another, and another. Until at one point on Tuesday night they all just came crashing on the floor. It is one of the down sides of not being near family and asking someone who is "obligated" to help you when you call with ridiculous requests.

Luckily there is a friend that saved my sanity. She watched a sick Madeleine all day on Wednesday so that I could still make it to student teaching, and Cory could still make it to his classes.

So I have a grasp on my sanity once again... we'll see how long it lasts!

Glorious Food

2010-01-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Cory and I are attempting to get Madeleine to eat more than just crackers and cheese. We get her to try some bites of whatever is on my plate during dinner. When we were going out the other night, Cory said, "Madeleine you will be taking two bites of whatever Mom orders for dinner." Madeleine, "Mom can you order just white rice then?"

Seriously this girl gets her critical thinking skills from Cory, because I would have never thought of such a solution.

TWENTY-TEN!

2010-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. Cory and I were grateful for a break from our schedules. Unfortunately that will end soon, as school starts back up and I will start student teaching. I think both Cory and I are excited and very nervous about this next year. We both finish our programs this year, which also means that we both will be looking for jobs. Should be a fun year!

And to show my high hopes for this year here is a picture of our little family in the winter of 2004, to show how far we've come... oh wait... we are still students... never mind

A No Dishes Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T04:02:00.000-08:00

Since it was just Cory and we are both just exhausted and stressed with school assignments and projects, we decided to go to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving dinner. Granted it was not as good as going to Grandma's, but with us being in Tennessee that really is not an option. But it was good, and hey no dishes, but a little sad in no leftovers. And I will say that the afternoon bunch at Golden Corral is less scary than the crowd we saw oh Friday night a few weeks ago.

I also ventured out on my first real Black Friday experience. I went to Kohls at about 5 a.m. and since it is next door to Old Navy I stopped in there for a few things. I saved more than I spent, so I figure that was a win. And Christmas shopping is almost done, which will be nice since I have finals in a few weeks.

Cory updated my phone, for my Merry Birthday gift. I can actually text now... which means I will finally enter the year 2002.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

(email me your address if you want a Christmas card)

Time Flies When There Is Not Enough Of It

2009-11-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

Well between my night classes, Cory's 18 credit hours, and Madeleine in Kindergarten, it does not seem like there is enough time for anything. Cory has been awesome in helping me out with cooking dinners. Him and Madeleine go every Saturday morning to do the grocery shopping while I am in class, which is a great help (even if we do end up with some interesting snacks or meals).

Cory is now in his part of the semester where projects are due, and right after Thanksgiving he will start into finals. By this time next year, Cory will be getting ready to graduate. Which seems soon, especially with how fast this last year has gone.

Madeleine is doing great in Kindergarten. She is excited to go everyday. Today is her first time buying lunch, so we'll see how that goes. Also she has her first loose tooth, and is terrified about it falling out. "I don't want to grow up," is what she tells me at night. I have even told her about the tooth fairy, but she does not seem to care how much money the tooth fairy might leave.

I am in my third quarter of night and Saturday classes. I am exhausted, but I know this tired feeling will be nothing compared to when I am student teaching in January. At this point I am just hoping to survive the program, but as soon as I get my certification, I'll get to worry about getting a job and all the good things that come from obtaining one.

So life is good, but busy. I think over Thanksgiving we will attempt to be lazy and not even make a full Thanksgiving dinner. Madeleine is still a picky enough eater, that really it will just be Cory and I eating dinner. Just means less to clean up... right? Though the thought of no left overs is a bit depressing.

It has been awhile

2009-08-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

We did make it to our apartment safely, life has just been a little crazy. Cory went to summer school, I am still in the program to obtain my elementary education certificate. Basically Cory goes to classes during the day and I go at night. We don't see too much of each other. We tried to fit in summer trips where we could with our schedules.

We even visited my sister in North Carolina where we went to the beach. And I think we both realized how much we missed the beach, even though Cory did lose his wedding ring in the ocean. So if you are in the Atlantic and see a titanium wedding band, let me know.

Madeleine has started Kindergarten. She starts going everyday next week. She is very excited, but scarred at the same time. Cory got a 3.6 and a 3.7 on his grades for the summer, so he was very excited about that. Because it also meant he kept his partial scholarship.

We also got another dog, Cassie-o-pea or how ever you spell that. So Cassie for short. So now we have Cassie(-o-pea) and Socrates. Sometimes I wonder why we thought it was a good idea. But Madeleine loves both her dogs, and she tortures them both. We are lucky that they both have great temperaments and put up with anything she does to them. Cassie is definitely more dog, where I think Socrates thinks he is a person.

I am attempting to keep up with classes while studying for the four praxis tests I need to take in order to be certified.

Hope you all are doing well!

Let the Moving Preparations Begin!

2009-04-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

So we will be moving in 3 weeks. Part of me thinks it can't come soon enough while the other part is freaking out because I know how fast those 3 weeks will go. Things are going well. Cory has spent many late nights at campus getting projects done, he's now in the process of getting ready for finals. I start classes next week for a certification in elementary education (should take me about a year to complete). And they are wanting to mainstream Madeleine for Kindergarten. So I'd say things are going well.

Here is a picture of Madeleine before she went to a friends princess party. She is also wearing her new glasses she got last month. She does not have to wear them all the time, but does because she can "see better" with them. She is definitely growing up.

It has started to warm up, but has also started to rain. And the rain here is not like the rain in L.A. it RAINS. But I figure before long it will be summer and soon you will all get to hear me complain about how hot it is. (Oh and our new apartment has ceiling fans... its funny what I get excited over now a days.)

Its Been Awhile

2009-03-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here is some photos from Christmas in NYC... yes I know it was 3 months ago, but whatever Madeleine is cute. Here she is helping shoveling the snow.

So it is now March, in case you DIDN'T KNOW. Cory turns 31 this week. I haven't gotten him anything yet. Things have been good and bad ups and downs.

A few weeks ago Cory decided he wanted to move. Our current apartments wanted us to sign a lease for another year, but we haven't been feeling quite safe here the last few months. So we started looking and found a town home about 10-15 miles further from the city. Its in a quiet neighborhood, so hopefully we won't be waking up to neighbors in the middle of the night. I'm not really looking forward to moving somewhere for just 2 years, but I'd rather move then stay somewhere I don't feel safe.

We will be moving at the end of April, right before Cory has finals. Joy! Madeleine and him have spring break next week so we will be trying to pack as much as possible then. Hopefully this will all go smoothly so Cory can concentrate on finals and not on the move.

Cory is also looking for internships this summer. He hasn't had much luck, and I must admit we are both worried that the past may repeat itself, that he'll graduate with no work experience and have trouble finding a job.

Madeleine is doing great. Her school is talking of mainstreaming her for Kindergarten, and just doing a speech group once a week. I'm trying to get everything situated with her school and the move, so that we don't have the same problem as last year when I couldn't find out any information since it was summer time.

I am trying to get everything ready for the move while trying to keep my sanity. The townhome is smaller than our current apartment so I have to start giving things away that won't fit into our new place. I am also thinking since Madeleine will be starting Kindergarten this fall I need to find something for ME to do... now to try and remember what I like to do.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T05:25:00.001-08:00

Our new year was very low key. We stayed home and watched some movies.

We had a lot of fun at Christmas. Was fun to be around family, and I know Madeleine had a blast with her cousins. My parents and family were even nice enough to let us bring our dog. I bought Cory a pocket watch and he got me season 2 of Psych. For my birthday he got me a very nice necklace with my birthstone. Madeleine got walle, tinkerbell and baby stuff. She was very excited.

I am ready for school to start. Which is today! I think all of us are getting a bit of cabin fever. Its been pretty rainy/icky out to do anything outside.

Cory and I have finally made the decision to lose some of this weight we've gotten over the last 5 years. I think we are finally in a spot in our lives where we can make that happen.

Oh and I'm now 30... woo......

2008-12-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here are our family pictures we took this summer while at Cory's parents. It was Cory's idea to do Tennessee orange... I "unfortunately" don't have a Tennessee orange shirt.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-17T06:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays! And yes those are now bright blue tinkerbell boots, I can't get her to wear anything else.

2008-12-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well we got a little bit of snow, and it made Madeleine very happy. Though now it is all melted, which now makes me happy. We had to buy her some new shoes as her Dora boots were just too smelly, so I finally got rid of the bright pink dora boots... only to be replaced with bright blue tinkerbell boots. She has her own personality thats for sure.

We bought a new/used car. So we'll see how it does on the drive up to NYC for Christmas to see my parents. Its a Hyundai Santa Fe, so more space than the sentra and hopefully more reliable.

The Face Book, And The Joys Of Cars

2008-12-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how Emily convinced me to sign up for it, but she has powers that others do not have. So I did it. Signed up so old friends could find me. Guess I can't take it back now, and so my internet addiction continues.

Yesterday our car died. I had dropped Madeleine off at her speech school, went to the office to turn in rent, and boom car won't start. The maintenance guy was really nice and gave me a jump, and I was able to get the car back to the apartment, barely. The alternator broke, to the point that after I got the jump and started to drive away... the car wasn't getting enough juice while driving that I was inching to our apartment.

I then called Cory and since his school is only a few blocks from Madeleine's school, he walked over and Madeleine and him rode the bus home, while I waited for a tow truck driver for the car. Madeleine cried that the car was broken, but very excited about the bus. I guess she talked to the bus driver the whole time.

Mechanics said the earliest they could get to the car would be Thursday, course that was 3 days earlier than the other places we called. Welcome to Tennessee I guess? I'm always surprised when we call and something needs to be fixed they will take a few days before they get out here.

So our only car is in the shop. Cory and I are wondering if its time to start thinking of other options, since it seems to keep having problems. But on the other hand, at least it isn't like last Christmas Eve when the car broke down at 4 p.m. We were at least able to get it towed, but no mechanics were open to even take it till after the holiday. Maybe I should have said that AFTER Christmas Eve... since that is still a possibility.

Hmmmm.....

2008-12-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

December... already? Well better late then never right? Here is a picture of Madeleine in her Tinkerbell costume. And yes that is her with camo pants and her pink cowboy boots. Everything is Tinkerbell right now. The K-mart near us is going out of business so I was able to find a few things on sale. Madeleine got terribly sick again with an ear infection and Cory has his first final tomarrow.

I went to my sisters in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. She did a fantastic job for dinner, and we all had a lot of fun. Thankfully Aiden got along with Madeleine, and Stacy was nice enough to let us bring our dog. I got to see my friend Emily and her 2 little ones. I only wish I could have stayed longer to do some serious hanging out. Maybe I'll have to head back out there before both their husbands finish school this next year.

I feel like we've been super busy, but I don't have much to report. We are getting ready for Christmas. We bought our first tree this year, just a small fake one... but better than nothing. We are planning on going to my parents for Christmas, where my sisters Heather and Stacy will be there with their families.

Is Trick-or-Treating Dying?

2008-11-04T03:24:00.000-08:00

Well We've had an interesting week and a bit. Madeleine came down with a fever Last Monday. Wednesday morning the fever was gone, but there were little blood spots on her pillow from stuff that had oozed out of her ear. Needless to say I took her to the doctors office as soon as they opened. She had an ear infection and bronchitis. I feel awful that it had gotten that bad, but she wasn't complaining of any ear pain, and Madeleine has only had one other ear infection when she was not even a year old.

So she is on 3 different medications that she has to take twice a day. She is being great about the medicine, and seems to be acting better. We go back to the doctors tomorrow to make sure she's healing correctly.

With Madeleine being sick we missed some of the Halloween parties, but we figured its ok there are lots of kids in our apartment complex Halloween night should be fun. Well unfortunately there weren't any trick-or-treaters and most the people we tried didn't have candy to give, and then I looked in the parking lot and realized that most the cars where gone.

So we put us all in the car and drove down to her school and went trick-or-treating at the houses down there. We saw some trick-or-treaters, but I even had some of the home owners ask where all the trick-or-treaters are this year. I then asked another friend and they said they usually have over 20 and this year they only had 4. I'm thinking trick-or-treating might be dying. Next year I guess I'll have to make sure we go to the trunk-or-treat and any other parties there are. Or if we have enough friends by then do one ourselves.

Attatched is a picture Madeleine drew for me the other day. It says Mom at the top, has tree with grass and a beehive, and a bee flying up the side of the page. She is spending a lot of time drawing. I ask if she needs help and just says "I'm not finished."

Once I get the pictures of Madeleine in her costume on my computer I'll post them. But... I can't seem to find the camera. Last I saw it Madeleine was taking pictures of Socrates with it. This should be fun!

A Little Late

2008-10-21T09:14:00.001-07:00

So here is a picture from Madeleine's Birthday... that was in what? July... yeah I'm so ontop of things.

Socrates got a trim, he looks like a whole new dog. And his housetraining is going much better. Maybe he just had to get used to the new environment.

Madeleine has fall break this week, so we are doing lots of park trips.

Cory has several papers, so I'm hoping I will at least see him some this week.

I've been super tired... you know that tired where you get a full night sleep still feel exhausted and so you rest some more, and you some how feel even more tired? Yeah... hopefully its just a bug or something I'm fighting.

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the cooler weather! I know I am.

Separation Anxiety

2008-10-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

So... I'm thinking "Soccer Tease" has separation anxiety. I've tried my best to house train him. We go outside frequently and not once has he eliminated outside. I think between Cory and I on Saturday we spent 6 plus hours outside with him and still nothing. But as soon as we put him in his crate and turn away, or leave the room he eliminates, and at night within 10 minutes of being alone in the crate alone he poops. I've even tried to take his pee and poop outside to the spot where we want him to go and have him sniff it.

Everything I read says to take them out often, if you see them sniffing like they are looking for a spot to go, take them outside and reward them when they go. The problem is even if I catch him before or during and take him outside he won't go, he just holds it until I put him in the crate while I go shower or clean or something. So I can't reward him for going outside if he never does... and when he goes in his crate I gotta take him out to clean it... I guess I should be glad that to some degree it is contained, but I also don't want him thinking his crate is his potty since I would love to not have to get up in the middle of the night to clean it up. We even bought a pad and sprayed it with some scent that is supposed to make doggies want to go in that spot, and still nothing.

And there is my venting about the house training, we can only get him to do it when we aren't around. I'm not sure how to even really attempt on fixing it. We haven't even had him a week, so maybe with time it'll get better? Other than the potty issue he's a good puppy.

Soccer Tease

2008-10-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

I know... its been like 3 months since my last post.

Lets see... I quit my job last week. It was just getting to be too much for me. The move, Cory's schedule, Madeleine's schedule and mine... and of course other issues like the fact that I'm crazy. Last Friday was my last day, and I think it was a good thing overall. Now I can do important things like... updating this blog!

Madeleine is making a lot of improvements between pre-k and her speech classes. She bought some bright pink dora cowboy boots and wears them everyday. Here's a picture of her going to church... I know very country.

Cory has been working hard at law school. We still try to make time for leisure, but sometimes I'm lucky to talk to him before we head to bed.

AND to top it all off, for many different reasons, we adopted a dog. He's name is Socrates (Madeleine pronounces it Soccer Tease). He shouldn't get more than 20 lbs, and is about 5 months old... they think. So far he's been very well behaved. He needs a bit of a cut, but that won't happen until we can bath him, in another 5 days or so. And we get the joy of house training him, since we are in an apartment.

Madeleine Hungry

2008-07-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

Sunday night Cory and I are watching the simpsons movie, Madeleine comes out of her room sees the popcorn and while grabbing her stomach says "Madeleine SO HUNGRY!" Then last night while Cory was attempting to lay her down for bed she kept saying "Madeleine hungry!" After a few minutes of her being quite she says to Cory, "Madeleine hungry! See small tummy!" and points to her tummy. I swear we are feeding this kid!

We are starting on the adventure of finding a daycare or preschool for Madeleine while I am at work. When we walk into one and they say "And what is your name?" she responds "Madeleine Robot Girl". Who knew I gave birth to a super hero?

Super Robot Girl

2008-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where Madeleine got this idea. But her super-hero name is now... Super Robot Girl, and apparently she likes toilet paper to be tied around her. Here is another I found that Cory must have taken while I was at work the other day, since I dont' remember this at all.

We are doing well. I started my training, so for 2 weeks I'll be working full-time, which I'm not THRILLED about but in 2 weeks I'll be doing my part-time schedule. Everyone seems very friendly and helpful, which is good because I'm sure I'll have lots of questions once I really start.

Madeleine's birthday is Saturday, and I think we decided to do a water park. Since we can't have a real party might as well just do something we normally woulnd't do that we know she'll love.

Non-Jean Pants!

2008-06-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

So today I spent the day buying non-jean pants for work. I of course have a hard time buying anything not on sale so I was only able to find a few things. With the humidity and heat walking outside is like a sauna, even at 10 at night. Yay for having AC here.

And for the real reason I'm writing this post. I realized Madeleine's birthday is in a little over a week. We don't know many people, let alone have any friends. So any suggestions on what to do for her, lemme know!

Pluck THEN Mascara

2008-06-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Yes we are alive. We've been busy getting settled in. I believe all the boxes are unpacked, but whether things are where they need to be... that's a whole different story. I'm hoping by the end of next week we'll have everything put away and even some pictures on the wall.

I was lucky to find a part-time job as a bank teller, just waiting to see if I pass the drug tests and the background check. I hopefully will be starting next Friday. And yes I'm already stressing about Madeleine and pre-school and daycare.

I signed Madeleine up for a play group at Little Gym on Wednesdays. Get to know some other kids in the area, I'm sure she gets pretty bored with just Cory and I all the time. I got the paperwork started for Madeleine's pre-school, now just a matter of time for them to get the proper papers from El Segundo and then for them to evaluate Madeleine... so you know... hopefully by August something will be set up for her.

Cory is looking for an internship or volunteer work.

It is definitely hot and humid here. I'm already running the AC, and we've been to the pool as often as we can. I unfortunately forgot sunscreen the other day so my shoulders are BURNED... you know when you have to line up your bra straps to exactly where the white line on your shoulder is... yeah... good times.

I was a genius this morning and decided to pluck my eyebrows after putting on mascara. Let me tell you, this doesn't work out so well. And the real sad thing is, this isn't the first time I've done that.

We Made It!

2008-05-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well we got here yesterday morning. And after that long drive I am glad that we hired some movers to unpack us. They had everything in the apartment within a few hours. We still aren't unpacked, but slowly getting things where they need to be. Madeleine christened the new carpet last night at about 2:30 am. She woke up and was throwing up til about 6:30 am. Cory and I are very VERY tired. And I will say that Knoxville does not have as many 24 hour places as Los Angeles.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can find the camera!

Things That Have Saved My Sanity

2008-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

In no particular order:

Charlotte! She came over Friday morning and helped me clean the kitchen and some other rooms in the house. Cory watched Madeleine and Jayden(her 2 year old son) while we scrubbed and chatted. She has been a great friend, and after Friday I can say that I now owe her BIG TIME.

Cory! His motivation for starting law school and this move has made it so much easier on me. He's packed up boxes and moved them into the garage without me nagging him even once. (If anything he reminds me that I need to pack this or that... but shhh we aren't going to talk about that.)

Preschool! Even though Madeleine only goes to preschool for 3 hours a day, and its a bit of a weird schedule throughout the week, having that little bit of time to get things done has helped a ton.

Madeleine! She is the cutest sweetest thing. If I'm having a bad day or upset she'll come over and give me a hug and ask me whats wrong.

My Parents! They have been very supportive. We wouldn't be able to make this move and law school without them.

Nickelodeon! Lets face it some evenings I need the TV to sit Madeleine while I try and finish up dinner or need some quiet time.

Diet Coke! I've tried quitting it a few times, but have not succeeded. And lets face it I know I have a problem when I'm having a bad day or night and Cory goes to get a Diet Coke in hopes that it'll help.

Magic Eraser! So shortly after moving to my parents house. Madeleine got into a red permanent marker and drew over the walls. I used this and cleaned it right up. So for some of those harder stains that you didn't know had been there... for who knows how long... I've been able to remove them without a problem.

The Internet! Being able to plan things ahead and look things up is so much easier with it. I'm not even sure how to do stuff without it anymore. Which is probably one reason why we called ahead to get the Internet a day or two after getting there.

Angela! She has saved my sanity more than once, and on Thursday after Madeleine is done with preschool, she'll pick her up while Cory and I finish packing up the truck and cleaning the house. I owe her so much, I'm not even sure how to start paying her back, especially now that I'm moving.

Next time I post I'll be in Tennessee! Exciting... right?

9 Days And Counting

2008-04-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Cory's last day of work is Thursday (woo!). That will give us about a week to finish up packing and getting the house ready for us to leave. Time is of course going faster than I want it to.

On a side note... who knew that answering 6 questions would totally say who I am. Course Deep Red is my favorite color.

You Are a Blue Crayon

Your world is colored in calm, understated, deep colors.
You are a loyal person, and the truest friend anyone could hope to find.
On the inside, you tend to be emotional and even a bit moody.
However, you know that people depend on you. So you put on a strong front.

Your color wheel opposite is orange. Orange people may be opinionated, but you feel they lack the depth to truly understand what they're saying.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorcrayonareyouquiz/
What Color Crayon Are You?

Less Than Two Weeks

2008-04-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

So in two weeks we will have the truck packed up and we will be on our way to Salt Lake City. We are going there to spend Saturday with some friends and Sunday (Mother's Day) with family. We then will have 2 LONG days of driving to get to Tennessee late Tuesday night. Since the apartment office will be closed by the time we get there we'll have to stay in a hotel that night. Then Wednesday morning we'll spend all day unpacking I'm sure. Cory's already called the utilities and internet (can't live without internet anymore) so at least we'll have power when we get there.

I was going to try and do a small party for Madeleine before we left, but I don't think I'll be able to squeeze one in. Instead I think I'll take some small items for her last day of preschool. That works right? Madeleine is starting to cry when I drop her off at school, maybe its because when she comes back there are items missing from the house.

I feel like a chicken with my head cut off. I'm so scatter-brained that I can't seem to stay on one task long enough for it to get fully finished. We have boxes half full, Desks half taken apart, I have random papers around with important information about the move all through the house.

Also our car has decided to keep having items that needs fixing... I wonder if we've hit the point on our car that its costing more to put into it than buying another one.

If you would like our new info email me!

We Got It!

2008-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

We got our apartment in Tennessee! YAY! My stress level for the move has gone down, now that we like... actually have a place to put our stuff once we do make the 40 hour drive. Cory is wanting to make the drive in 3 days. We will be stopping in Utah to visit family for 2 days, so at least it will be broken up a little bit.

Also family has visited and gone and Cory and I have started packing once again. We packed up and moved stuff that was under our bed. The scary world of "I don't know where to put this... OH I KNOW under the bed I'll deal with it LATER". I believe there were things that I put there after we moved here 2 years ago that I haven't missed or even thought about.

It'll be like Christmas when we move to Tennessee as our kitchen boxes are still in the garage since the move 2 years ago. I don't remember anything that we have in them.

Now to just make a few trips to Goodwill so we don't have to move things we don't want. And I know the last few weeks will go a lot faster than I want them too, but it will be exciting to get to our new home.

Stress and Cold Sores

2008-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sexy title right? Well since being back from Tennessee, we've been busy trying to get things ready. When I get extremely stressed I get cold sores, now I usually only get them maybe once or twice a year but I've now had two in the last month. Am I stressed? I think so! I had one of those days where I started to panic, and what do you know! The next morning I woke up with a cold sore starting to form on my lip. And the thing about cold sores is I start to stress about the cold sore when I'm already obviously stressing. I decided to go to the store and buy some new cold sore medicine as what I had obviously wasn't working too well. I normally buy a moderate priced one, but this time I decided to go all out and buy Abreva, the smallest container for about double the price. I figure what do I got to lose? Well I gotta say this actually worked. The cold sore didn't grow to its normal size and didn't get nearly as nasty as they usually do. I know you are all excited to read my post about cold sores, but I'm excited to find something that actually helped!

Ok onto other things! Cory has started to take apart furniture in hopes that it will make it easier to move... he of course doesn't pack the stuff in the entertainment center or whats in the drawers but just sets them aside for "later". Does "later" mean me going through them? I think so! We are also trying to finish up the apartment application, which is much more detailed than anything I had to fill out in Utah. Here's to hoping we pass all the credit checks and such.

This week we also have my brothers family and one of his in-law families visiting. So its a full house once again. Madeleine is having a blast with the extra kids, and is learning about sharing very quickly. Cory's parents will also be visiting this weekend. Busy busy!

Ribs, Ribs, and More Ribs

2008-03-31T12:55:00.001-07:00

We made it back from Tennessee in one piece! We had a lovely trip, and I must say that traveling without Madeleine made this trip SOOOOO much easier. We arrived Wednesday night and went straight to the hotel to try and get some sleep, since we were going to wake up at 7 a.m. (which was really 4 a.m. to us). Thursday we went apartment hunting all day, and we are very excited about one of the apartments we've found. Now we just gotta secure we get it. Friday was the meet and greet, and Cory is even more excited about attending the law school. We came back Friday night only to find that our car had a flat tire. Now I'm hoping this will be our last flat tire for awhile, seeing as we've now replaced them all since living in Los Angeles.

Knoxville has about every store you'd want. It will feel much smaller than Los Angeles, cause really... what won't feel small in comparison. There were lots of Ruby Tuesday's and Texas' BBQ places. I don't think I'm going to want to eat red meat for a month or two.

We are thinking we may move as early as May, seeing as if I'm able to find a job before Cory's school starts in August we can get residency... and really in the 3 years we'll be there that will save us over 30,000. And once he has residency it can't be taken away.

Things seem to be falling into place... I'm just hoping they land into place.

High Heights and Big Slices

2008-03-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our trip from NYC. We first visited the Flat Iron building. Me for historic art reasons and Cory's for... well that is where Spider Man works. I'm not sure if that was the best decision in that everything after that Cory had some sort of reference to Spider Man. After the Flat Iron we visited Union Square, Ground Zero and Max Brenner's Chocolate Restaurant. And OH MY GOODNESS if you are ever a chocolate fan like I am this place was just... I mean wow... I still dream about some of those desserts.

Tuesday we woke up early, and my parents were nice enough to take Madeleine to a Zone Conference while Cory and I did lots of site seeing. We took the train to the city then rode the subway through rush hour to make it to the Empire State Building before any long lines formed. We then went to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Time Square, China Town and we finished off the night by seeing Wicked. It was an amazing musical. Thank you again for the tickets Mom, Cory and I had a great day alone seeing the city.

Wednesday Cory and I were a bit beat from all we did Tuesday, so we went to the Bronx Zoo. Of course my California daughter refused to wear a coat when the high was 40 out. We ended the night with some pizza from the Bronx, and the slices were bigger than Cory's head. Was good and very filling.

Thursday we went to the Met before we had to go to the airport. Madeleine didn't enjoy it much, but I on the other hand loved seeing some of those art pieces. It was a great trip, even if it was short.

Cory and I are headed to Knoxville next week to see what we can get started on for our move there this summer. I didn't have the heart to take Madeleine cross country in a plane so soon, so we are having a friend watch her for 2 nights. I'm just hoping I have a friend when I come back.

Back, But Sick!

2008-03-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

We made it back from NYC late Thursday night. We had a blast. We were all very sad to leave Grandma and Grandpa, I think we all got a bit spoiled by being there. Madeleine got alone time with Grandma and Grandpa and Cory and I got alone time together! But Saturday morning we all woke up with sore throats and stuffy noses. We are still in the process of recovering. I will give more details of our trip and hopefully some pictures as soon as I start feeling better.

Growing Up?

2008-03-08T15:30:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Cory sold his 360 to one of his co-workers. He figures he won't have enough time to play this while going to lawschool. This was Cory's decision, I was quite suprised when he came home and told me he was selling it. Cory packed it up and all the games, controllers and the guitars for guitarhero and as he was putting them into the car Madeleine was crying "xbox... xbox..."

I've been a bit frazzled lately. Cory's decided to go to Tennesse for lawschool. So my mind is going 100 mph it seems constantly.

We are leaving to visit my parents in NYC tomarrow night. First vacation in over a year. Hopefully lots of pictures to come.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! We've never been big on this holiday. We acknowledge it but never celebrate in a big way. Cory worked tonight anyways. So I got to spend the evening watching a movie with Madeleine and folding laundry. Maybe Cory and I will go out to dinner later this week or something for it, less crowds too!

Thursday Afternoon

2008-02-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well Madeleine has been to early morning preschool this week, and so far so good. She seems to be adjusting fine to it. The early mornings are harder on me than her I think. Since I'm the one running around in the morning trying to get her to school on time.

Currently I'm procrastinating laundry. I've been going nonstop this morning and sat down for lunch, and now I'm having problems getting going again. But I NEEDS to do laundry no one needs to see me running around without a bra on tomarrow.

Law School!

2008-02-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Madeleine taking a nap on our bed. I seriously don't know how she does it.

Well the exciting news this week is that Cory got accepted to law school at University of Tennesse. Its in his top 3 choices of schools, so it is excited. I'm just glad we heard so quickly from one of his top choices.

I went to Madeleine's IEP last week. They would like her to start going to the morning special ed preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. To help with some of her speech and social skills. I'm hoping that going to school on Monday, Wednesday, Friday afternoons then going Tuesday, Thursday mornings won't be too weird or tough of a schedual for her. She starts her first Tuesday class tomarrow, hopefully the transition won't be too stressful for her. Though Madeleine and I have turned into pretty lazy morning people, so this will also be a challenge for me to get her to school at 8:30 am.

I haven't been up to too much. Cleaning up from the holidays. We did make it to Disney Land the other night. It was cold since it had been raining earlier that day, but we were able to just walk on all the rides. Madeleine had a blast and even asked to go on Pirates at the end of the night.

A Quiet Night

2008-01-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve was very quiet for us. Cory of course had to work that morning and had to wake up early for work the next day. So it was a typical night for us. About 5 minutes after laying Madeleine down the power went off. Madeleine of course woke right up since the house was pitch black. We found some flash lights then looked outside and saw that the whole neighborhood was out. We played downstairs for a bit with the flashlights but after an hour or so and with Madeleine being so tired, we decided to go for a drive. Cory manually opened the garage and we drove around for a bit, by the time we got home the power was back on. We laid Madeleine down and us shortly after. I don't even think Cory and I were up at midnight.

Christmas Fun!

2007-12-27T16:45:00.001-08:00

Here are the beginning of the cards that I made for Madeleine's teacher and teacher aids. I used her hand prints as the angels wings then wrote "Thanks for being an angel" on them. These were then put in the goodie bags full of cookies that Madeleine helped me make.

Here is Cory on Santa's lap!

Here's me on Santa's lap!

And of course Madeleine.

For Christmas eve we went to a family friends. There we had dinner with LOTS of food and treats. The kids acted out the Christmas story. Santa showed up and gave us all Nerf Guns! We all opened them up and started running around the house shooting each other. I think it helped wear out the kids in excitement of Christmas the next day.

We went to Candy Cane Lane. Its a street where every house is decorated in some amazing way. The city even blocks off traffic, so only foot traffic is allowed and Santa comes and sits at the end of the block in his sleigh.

Even though our car ended up breaking down Christmas Eve, and we were in a panic to find a rental car, this was a great Christmas.

Parchment Paper

2007-12-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

What can I say? I'm a fan. I made so many cookies last night and this morning that I still feel like I'm swimming in them. It was so nice to be able to slap that on the cookie sheet and not worry about having to clean it after. Yay for that it made my holiday a little bit easier.

Here's a picture of Madeleine's bed currently. With all the boxes from xmas I decided to open one up. Madeleine and I sat on the floor and drew in crayon (unfortunately you cannot see our beautiful designs) a door, windows, flowers, pets and even a car. She calls it her house and insists on having it on her bed when she goes to bed at night. Who needs the fancy toys anyways!

Seriously?

2007-12-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

So as I'm browsing posts this morning and I see this add:

Sexy Santa Dresses
Turn heads this season in our sexy Santa dresses and holiday gowns.
http://www.chelseasofnewyork.com/

Sexy Santa Dresses? Are you serious? People like order those and like wear those?

Also no test scores from the LSAT, and yes its starting to drive us a little crazy... just a little so it means our insanity level is about the same that it is always at.

Checking In

2007-12-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting going on here. Cory took the LSAT on Saturday, and its 1-3 weeks until we know the scores. So basically we are just waiting around for that, once we know we can decide what colleges to apply to. Cory's been busy working at Game Stop with the Holiday Season about. I've been busy trying to get all the Christmas presents and get them sent out so people can get them on time. Maybe one day I'll have a deep thought and I'll post about it!

Me At Three!

2007-11-27T11:16:00.001-08:00

So I was looking through some photos and I found this one of me at 3 1/2 oh so many years ago. People say Madeleine looks like Cory, it'd be interesting to see a photo of him at 3.

I also found a picture of my 15th birthday... I look... just... AWESOME! Can you tell how much fun I am? What a snot I was... WAS? Still am!

Because my birthday is so near Christmas people were usually out of town for it. But for my 16th birthday I decided to throw a huge slumber party a week or two before school got out (don't remember exactly when). If I remember right it was a lot of fun, and what were my parents thinking agreeing to a party with so may teenage girls?

Wow, She Sat Still!

2007-11-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here are Madeleine's school pictures. I can't believe they got her to sit still long enough. She's growing up, thats for sure. I dropped her off and thats when I found out it was picture day. I didn't bother going back home and getting her a new outfit, like most the parents did, cause I figured hey black t-shirt can't see any of the stains on it. And don't worry grandparents you'll be having hard copies sent to you through snail mail with christmas stuffs.

Law School?

2007-11-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Nothing like preparing for things last minute, am I right? A few weeks ago Cory came to the decision that he is going to go to law school. After the struggles that we have had with finding work and his current problems at Game Stop, he woke me up at about 1 am and said, "I'm going to go to law school." my response was "I have no comment at this time." And why? Cause he just woke me up from a deep sleep at 1 am! We talked it over and he took a practice LSAT and we decided, if we start on it 100% right away, he may get into law school somewhere for next year. This means taking the LSAT December 1st, and getting in applications to law school by Janurary. Then we get to wait and see if he can start school next September or August, and start in on the student loans (and we all know how much I love debt). Cory feels really good about the decision, so wish us luck!

About That Time Again

2007-11-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

If you know me at all, you know that one thing that constantly changes about myself is my hair. I'm not attatched to my hair at all. I'll grow it long then chop it short, be a blonde then dye it red. Well its that time again, where the length of the hair just isn't worth my time to do in the morning. I also have very fine hair so the longer it gets the flatter it seems. I chopped it above my sholders, so at least I won't be stuck in the perma-ponytail that has been with me for so long. One of my favorite stories is that when Cory met me I had red hair, and when he came to pick me up for our first date I had bleached it blonde. I later found out that it my red hair was one of the reasons he liked me when we first met.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Madeleine before we went to the Halloween Party on Saturday night. Madeleine was a fairy princess and loved her crown and her wings, course I think she called herself a butterfly all night. She had a good time at the party, and even had her first lollipop. She did a great job at the Trunk or Treat, and now walks up to me with her treat bag and says "trick or treat". When we got home she opened all her lollipops, lined them up and started to pick one up lick it once then place it back down and move to the next one. Don't think she actually finished any of them.

I like the picture of her pumpkins this year. We haven't carved the one yet, but I don't think it will be better than the mini pumpkin that looks like it spent the night at Mardi Gras.

The Sunset That Lasted All Day

2007-10-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I am sure many of you have heard of the fires that are currently happening in Southern California. Yesterday I could start smelling the smoke in the air, and driving inland I could see the grey skies overhead. Being near the beach and having the wind blowing helps keep the air moving. But today was different, the air was still. I had to close all the windows and run the AC. It was up to 90, which for El Segundo if very hot. The grey sky just loomed over the city as well as the smell of smoke. When I dropped off Madeleine at preschool today, the sun was giving not its bright yellow light, but a dimmed orange light over the city. This effect made it feel as if the sun was setting, and it felt that way all day. Madeleine's teacher told me when dropping her off, that they would be playing inside all day, which I was greatful for. Even short trips to her preschool and the store would make me feel sick. Luckily the fires aren't near us, and making for some great sunsets.

Pony Ride

2007-10-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

Well Madeleine's preschool went to the pumpkin patch last week (and yes I forgot my camera). They had animals you could feed and pony rides. Madeleine had a blast. She loves animals, has no fear of them. When going on walks or at the park, she'll walk up to any dog that's there. So she was able to feed some sheeps and goats, and giggled so loud every time they ate the feed out of her little hand. She then got to ride the pony, and it wasn't just a short pony ride either, they were long pony rides. Some of the kids in the preschool were terrified of riding the pony, so their parent would hand me the ticket and say "Your daughter seems like she'd go again." And of course they were right, so Madeleine got extra pony rides. When leaving Madeleine got to pick out one pumpkin to take home with her. She picked a small pumpkin and had to carry it in her lap the whole way home. When we got home she asked for cereal, sat the pumpkin in a chair next to her and insisted on getting a bowl and spoon for the pumpkin, as well as putting cereal in it.

DisneyLand

2007-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

So while my brothers and their families were in town, Cory took a day off of work so we could enjoy a day at Disneyland with them. We went to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast, unfortunately we had to be there at 7 a.m. which meant leaving our house by 6 a.m. Besides the lack of sleep, I think all had fun. Madeleine had a blast with her cousins. Even if she didn't really know what to make of the characters at first (I love her face with Pluto). We were able to get the Southern California Pass, which has weekends and holidays blacked out (but who really wants to go to Disneyland during those times anyways). So I am sure we will be back a few more times, since we weren't to get everything done we wanted to in one day. Oh and the picture of Madeleine and the car, is her hugging the car. Everytime we go out to the car she hugs the hood and says "hello car".

Something A Little More Light Hearted

2007-10-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

So I decided I'd post something not so serious. This picture was taken a few months ago, when we were trying to see how well Madeleine would do with Pull-Ups. She decided to put one on as a hat and some others on her arms. She'd run around the house screaming at the top of her lungs. One day I tried to take a picture of her but she wouldn't stay still for one, this is the best one I got (our camera is also dying). And please ignore the mess of our bed and our room...

Comfy Pant Day

2007-09-29T10:22:00.001-07:00

Today I have decided is a Comfy Pant Day. I've had one of those few weeks where today I can kind of finally relax some.

Little over 2 weeks ago, the managers at Game Stop where having a conference in Vegas. Which meant Cory would be in charge of the store for a week. It was good, things went smooth, but of course some added stress for that week. Near the end of that week I went to the doctors, I was about 8 weeks along in a pregnancy. The doctor couldn't find a heartbeat, so she tried to get me into a specialist to confirm or deny the miscarriage, but of course the first opening would be Tuesday, 5 days away.

So in order to try and keep my mind off of things the following day I decided I'd take a day for myself, drop Cory off at work and browse the clearance rack at Old Navy. On the way to dropping Cory off I drove over a curb, very unlike me (guess my mind was somewhere else) and not only broke the tire but bent the rim pretty severely too. So after I dropped Cory off I drove to the nearest tire store. But they just do tires and not rims, so they directed me to a used rim place that was almost all the way back home. They of course did not have our rim size so they called another shop, and found me one. This used auto part place was of course in the complete opposite direction. So once I got the new rim, I then had to drive back to the tire place have the put on the new/used rim and a new tire. Of course I hadn't showered before leaving the house cause I was just going to be dropping Cory off and headed straight home to get ready for the day. This also meant that Madeleine did not have any shoes or pants. I'd carry her into these auto places and she'd scream "HELP HELP" until I put her down. She was filthy from running around on those floors. By the time I got back to the tire place I walked Madeleine to the McDonald's next door to get lunch. After the tire was all fixed we drove home I showered she bathed and we headed back out to go pick up Cory from work. So my day to try and keep my mind off the situation worked, was too busy worrying about trying to get the car fixed to think of anything else.

One of my close friends wasn't feeling well and asked me to watch her little one while she napped. I of course agreed as I know how hard it is when you are sick with a child. While watching the child Madeleine was able to break a glass bowl on the floor and he spilled a gallon of milk on the floor. Later that week the rice cooker broke, I tipped over a stack of glasses and broke them all. On Tuesday I went to the specialist and he confirmed that I had a miscarriage. I decided to wait 2 weeks to see if my body would get rid of it, but my doctor wouldn't let me go longer than that and I had to schedule a D&C to remove the tissue. I then got an email from family saying they are coming October 10th for Disney Land, and not just their family but another sibling and his family. So that means another 10 or so people in the house in October.

My body didn't seem like it was getting rid of the tissue, so I had a D&C done Thursday. Cory took the day off so he could drive me, and we had a friend watch Madeleine. Friday Madeleine went to preschool, she isn't tantruming when I drop her off anymore just says "hey wait" when I leave the class room.

So today is Saturday, Cory works from 8pm to midnight tonight getting ready for inventory. So I have him most the day, and I'm thinking... its gonna be a comfy pant day. I have to go grocery shopping seeing as we are out of bread and Madeleine food, but for the most part I think I'm gonna take it easy try and relax, maybe even nap.

Overall we are doing ok, just you know... its been one of those weeks...

Socks

2007-09-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

So as I was getting Madeleine ready for school this morning, she picked her shoes over her sandles. I then realized she has no socks, well no socks that fit anyways. Maybe its from living in Southern California where we can wear sandles all year round. Maybe... just maybe... I should pick some up.

The Correct Way To Eat Pudding

2007-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was one of those days where the big thing I did was shower and got ready. Was a pretty lazy day in that I wasn't feeling 100%. For a snack Madeleine and I had those snack size pudding cups. Madeleine actually began to eat it, which I was greatful for since what she is willing to eat is very limited. She began with a spoon, and somehow it turned into her using her finger and licking it off. Now when Madeleine doesn't like something on her hand she wipes it in her hair. So soon after she had pudding in her hair. The pudding eating became much more elaborate as she began to dip her finger in the pudding then running it along her arm and licking the pudding off of her arm. By this point in time I had already decided she was taking a bath after this snack.

Peace and Quiet

2007-09-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well Madeleine went to her first day of pre-school today. I'm assuming she did ok, as the teacher didn't say anything to me when I went to pick her up. The pre-school is only about 3 blocks away (and I will say ONE BIG HILL) easy enough to walk to, since Cory and I still only have one car. After dropping her off I came home, and just sat on the couch for a few minutes. It was... quiet... oh so quiet. No noise of video games, the tv, computers or Cory chasing Madeleine around making her squeal, just quiet. To celebrate this amazing feeling of not having to take care of anyone I cleaned the kitchen. Exciting I KNOW! Well at least I'm excited. I also took a power nap, one that wasn't interrupted every 5 minutes. Madeleine will be going to pre-school Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to three. Not a terribly long time, but I think this will be a very good thing for her and me. Maybe, just maybe I'll feel just a little sane.

High School And Ten Years Later

2007-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Living 2 blocks away from my High School, I had assumed that I'd be going to my high school reunion when it came about. Well a week ago or so I got an invitation in the mail that my 10 year high school reunion would be this month. It is being held in Torrance and its $100 to go for an evening. I must admit I was hoping for something more casual and free-er (I know its not a word). So I'm most likely not going. There are very VERY few people that I want to see from high school and $100 dollars isn't something Cory and I can spare right now, especially if it means me having a mediocre night talking with people I really don't want to be talking to.

Today I'm going to attempt to get Madeleine in some pre-school classes. I'm hoping this will help her speech as well as make her more independent of me, and of course give me some sanity time. She's potty trained and ready to go... I hope.

It's been STUPID hot here the last week or so. Where you wake up and its already hotter outside than in, and with the humidity you just feel sticky if you stay out too long. Today is also Cory's day off, and we'll most likely go to the beach just cause it can't be too hot there (and its cheap).

Horray For Grandparents

2007-08-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

So for the last few days we were fortunate enough to have Cory's parents visit us. It was great having them here, and Madeleine loved playing with them. Cory was able to get sometime off while they were here. So we were all able to relax and hang out. I must admit even though I know they were on vacation, I almost felt like it was a small vacation for me. Grandma and Grandpa Swainston entertained Madeleine and I was able to cook dinner without her tugging at me once, I was very excited. I even was able to sneak into my room and read a few chapters in a book, I don't know how long it has been since I've sat down and read, but I will tell you its been too long.

We spent one early afternoon at the beach. Cory and I try and go with Madeleine once a week, take advantage of living where we do. Each time we go Madeleine gets a little braver with the waves. This last time she even ventured out on her own a little. I think this was the highlight for the trip since you can't really go wrong with the beach. If I was more prepared I would have taken a camera, but that's what grandparents are for taking the pictures and emailing them to you... right? The beach wore out the adults and I think we all took a very lovely nap when we got back, Madeleine on the other hand continued to play all afternoon.

Cory and I even sneaked out for a small date to go watch a movie, we take advantage of free babysitters when we can.

I think this was a great way to end our summer. Overall I think good times where had by all.

August... already????

2007-08-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well July came and went. And I really wish I had something exciting to post, but I don't. I got a terrible cold, and ended up taking 3 naps in one day. It literally knocked me out. Cory worked hard and Madeleine of course played hard. I've tried keeping up on house work, but I feel I have been playing catch up with it since I was out for those few days. Madeleine did great at her 3 year check up. If her speech does not improve in the next 5-6 months I'm to call to get some referals. Her potty training was going well, but has taken a few steps back recently. She knows all the words to the opening song of Spongebob Squarepants, and will sing it at the top of her lungs. And of course I can't make a post without posting some pictures of Madeleine, this is her playing in her Dora tent, which she insists on being put over her when she goes to bed at night. Tomarrow is Cory's day off and I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I'm sure whatever it is, it will be great.

Madeleine Turns 3!

2007-07-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Madeleine turned 3 on June 21st. We didn't do anything huge for it. I brought some treats and some toys to the park with some friends. Cory and I took her to the beach, which is something she asks for everyday now. "Beach?" is repeated over and over all day. For presents we bought her a trike, it has a handle that comes out of the back of it so I can push her and she doesn't have to pedal if she doesn't want to. I actually enjoy it more than the stroller as the handle is actually tall enough for me. With money from both grandparents we got her a train track and set it up on the little table in the family room. This is a great gift for me cause she loves to play with it and I can actually get dinner done on some nights.

I also gave Madeleine her second hair cut ever, she didn't sit very well but at least I don't have to pin her down and brush out the tangles every morning and night.

We are just staying in El Segundo for the 4th. Cory will most likely have to work (as 2 of the key holders were let go recently). So Madeleine and I will go to the block party where she can ride her new trike in the street with the other kids and have water fights and play in the bounce house. Cory will be home in time for fireworks, so we'll watch those all together. So over all it should be a quiet holiday.

NOGGIN.com

2007-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

For the past week Madeleine has been playing on NOGGIN.com. She climbs into Cory's chair opens the Internet browser and clicks NOGGIN under the favorites tab. I am not allowed to help her play the games on the computer as she will just scream if my hand even gets near the mouse. She would probably play all day on the games if we let her.

Here is her in her "performing" outfit. She puts this hat on everyday along with the shall, and sings into my powder brush as if it were a microphone. When she's done singing she'll clap and jump up and down.

We also went to Denny's the other morning, there she would walk up to people eating say "hi" and try and climb into their booths. Then she decided to crawl on the floor on all fours and barking like a dog.

What can I say, Madeleine is a lot of fun to be around.

Cleaning Party At My House

2007-06-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well the windows are in. Yay! They still have to fix the furnace and the finish the frames on one of the doors but I think they are done. Which means I can clean and get things back to where they are supposed to be. My sanity can finally return. The windows look great though they are a bit thicker than the old ones, and so my parents will have to get some new drapes and blinds for some, but I say its just a reason to redecorate.

And I know you were all worried about my closet, don't worry they've fixed it, and covered up the metal tubes with drywall. All the workers have been very nice (except for one that got after me about Madeleine) and have cleaned up after themselves. So overall the expeirence wasn't horrible. Now I just have to clean and put things back, so yeah cleaning party at my house!

Who Needs Sanity Anyways?

2007-05-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Monday began my main adventure while watching over my parents house. My parents are in NYC for 2 more years serving as mission presidents, and Cory and I agreed to watch the house while they were away. One of the things my parents had already had in motion was LAX coming in to put in soundproof windows and doors. If you've never been to my parents house, maybe if I told you they were replacing 43 windows in the home might tell you how big of a project this is.

In order to get ready for them we had to take down the window trim and move anything in front of the windows by at least 3 feet. Monday morning came and by 8 a.m. the house was full of men working in each room, each doing their specific job. For some reason LAX finds it necessary for my parents to get a new furnace and a new heat vent in order to reduce sound in the house. So while the windows were being popped out and new ones being put in, they were also in my closet drilling a hole to the outside. Who needs closet space anyways?

They said this was a better option than creating a hole in the roof and cutting the tiles. So I'll trust them and hope my parents don't kill me. If anything I can put in some nice shelves cause you can never have too many shelves in a closet.

I'm having a hard time deciding what has been my funnest part so far of this experience. Maybe it the fact that Madeleine is 3 years old and hates to wear shoes so every time I heard glass breaking I'd cringe, or maybe it was the fact that she's 3 and loves to help, so I spent my days running after her saying "no". We tried to spend as much time out of the house as we could, and went on several walks around the block.

Madeleine is also going through a stage were she wakes up in the middle of the night wide awake. For example she was up from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. last night, but I guess that gets me a baby that can sleep through even nail guns going today.

So I'm on day 3 out of 2 weeks where my OCD is going a bit crazy because the house is all out of place and dust on everything. I feel like I'm in a small section of one of those house make-over shows, without the luxury of the family being sent on vacation while its all done.

Four Years And Still Going

2007-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Our anniversary is on May 9th, and this year marked four years of being married. Our friend Charlotte was nice enough to watch Madeleine while Cory and I went to a grown-up restaurant. We went to the Santa Monica Bistro (http://bistroofsantamonica.com/). It was perfect. Cory had sword fish and I had a bowtie pasta with a pesto sauce. We also tried their Chocolate Souffle, which you have to order when while eating your entree since it takes 20 minutes to prepare. This place was absolutely delicious, for the environment and the quality of the food, the prices were more than worth it for me. I know, I'm talking a lot about the food, but it was so good and a nice change of pace from the Chili's that we go to regularly.

After the restaurant we rented N'ever After came home and watched it with Madeleine. Our gift that we decided on was getting our car fixed.

So it was a pretty quiet anniversary, but with some really good food. Which is the most important thing right?

Brain Freeze

2007-04-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Today Cory had the day off, so to celebrate we decided to go to Cold Stone for some ice cream. We hadn't been there since we moved to Southern California but from what we remembered about it in Utah was that it wasn't just good, it was GOOOOOOOOOOD. Our memories were correct in that the ice cream was extremely tasty and hit the spot on this hot Saturday.

It was also Madeleine's first taste of Cold Stone. She got to share with me, but once she got a taste of it she had to have it right near her and spoon it up herself. She got a big spoonful and put the whole thing in her mouth then gave this incredible look like "oh my goodness my brain is freezing" (which was an absolutely hilarious look). So I do believe Madeleine has had her first brain freeze.

Other than that our Saturday consisted of laying in bed and reading books like "No, David" and "Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You?", with a Sponge Bob episode or two. What can I say, we are very exciting people.

Along came Saturday

2007-04-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

A part of Cory's job at Game Stop is to check out games from the store for a few nights and test them out. So that he can give informed answers to customers questions. With our tax refund Cory has convinced me that him having an xbox 360 to test games out on would be very good for him. He was able to get a deal with co-worker who is planning on buying a new black one that comes out next week. So we are now the owners of a xbox 360 with not many games. One of the rules of the purchase was that it was just a device in which Cory could bring home games to test. That was until he introduced me to Guitar Hero 2. One game which we now own and which Madeleine is a huge fan of. And not just Madeleine I must admit that I'm a "bit" addicted to the game. Its a lot of fun with lots of great music. And if you know me at all, you know how much I love music. It won't be a problem to get Cory off the game... me and Madeleine on the other hand...