Sigh of (Temporary) Relief

Ugh, what a week. Actually its been a couple of weeks. I have been so busy at work by the time I get home I pass out. I havent found the time (or the energy) to update the blog. There are a few major changes going on at my work place, restructuring and completely new job duties (added to the ones we already have). My schedule has also changed. I use to be the early bird arriving at 7 and beating the rush hour traffic, leaving by 4. Now Im here a half an hour later and leaving half an hour later. Every third week I work 8-5 schedule. Not looking forward to that. But hey, its a job.

At home we started redecorating Alex's room. We emptied her room, placing everything but the fish aquarium, in the living room and our bedroom. Alex is sleeping on a queen size blow up bed in the living room. She thinks its a slumber party everynight, without mommy or daddy. We painted the walls and trim, hung the tv, new blinds and pet net. We are officially ready for her new furniture arrive. We were advised 2-4 weeks, as of Friday, it should have been here. But heres the bad news... it wont arrive for another 2 weeks. Its taking 6 weeks to get the furniture. I could scream. Im ready for my house to be organized and everything put back in its place. Alex is ready for her new furniture. She told us the other night she wanted to sleep in her new bed. We had the new mattress and box delivered today so she will be off the air mattress.

Thought for Thursday #3

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

Thought for Thursday #2

"The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. " ~Erma Bombeck

Even when I make a list, I still come out with more than whats on the list.

Memory Lane

Today walking through a Blockbuster made me think of a movie I would like to share with Alex. Growing up one of my favorite movies was "The Secret Garden". I had learned there are several versions of the movie is based off a book. The 1993 version was my favorite. Well I couldnt find it at Blockbuster (kind of slim pickings because the store is going out of business) so we came home to search on NetFlix. Doug was able to find it and add it to our queue of movies to watch. Im excited to watch it when it arrives. Also excited to share it with Alex. I have many memories of me popping the tape into the VCR, sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and watching the movie over and over on rainy days. Maybe if she likes it enough the Easter Bunny will bring it in her basket.

Practice Makes Perfect

Well Im far from perfect but Im still practicing. I started a project for one of my in laws Mike (Dougs dad) and Margo (Dougs step mom) who celebrated their 25th anniversary over the summer. She asked that I take pictures of the family and create a framed collage of these pictures. It took me several months to arrange the photo shoots, learn to use Photo Shop Elements editing program, choose favorites and frame. Margo provided 2 photo box frames to work with. I ended up with 1 frame of black and white pictures and a second frame of color photos. We gave the finished project to Mike and Margo as a Christmas present. Here are the photos I took:

Thought for Thursday #1

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
~ Art Linkletter

Brainstorm

While sitting here at work Im browsing the internet checking out random blogs. Literally Im clicking "Next Blog" at the top and reading what comes up next. Ive come across Colorado mother of 4 expecting a new baby, a NY teens inspiration and dream to be a make up artist for the stars, a family of 7 (5 teens, mom & dad) blog about the past holidays and a young Asian business woman living in Australia. Very interesting collection of people. The only thing stopping me from reading more is that 1) im at work and need to look busy doing actual work stuff 2) my yearly review with the boss and 3) my mind just keeps wondering with ideas. So I thought I would write them down. Specifically because I have the worst memory ever and will forget within 5 mins what I was doing.
So I was inspired by a celebrity mom Brooke Burke to start a post. She posts Wordless Wednesday, a single picture that describes her day or mood. I thought I could start something like that. Without stealing her exact idea I thought of "Memorable Monday". I will post a picture taken that day of me or something going on with me. I was even thinking of starting "Thought for Thursday" and posting an inspirational quote, funny joke, idea or question running through my head.

Dont ask the 4 year old....

For a few months now Alex has been telling us that her room is a "baby room". She doesnt like the butterflies and flowers on the walls. She wants a big girl room. She also feels her bathroom is a boy bathroom and would like a girl bathroom (its decorated in stars, moons and suns). I planned to redecorate her bathroom this winter. Grandma Grape aka Grandma Olivia aka GG bought Alex a colorful beaded chandalier. I originally thought about hanging it in her bedroom but found super duper cute bathroom decor it goes perfect with. And its on clearance/sale with free shipping at Target. So plans changed to hang it in her bathroom over the toilet. It will fill in the blank wall. We are getting rid and selling a few items and toys in her room that will hopefully pay for the redecorating of her bathroom. I have priced everything out to total just under $200.

Now for her bedroom. Doug and I decided to start redecorating it even though this was not planned for a couple of more years. When we bought her crib, we bought the Lifetime crib that changed from crib to day bed to full bed. We did not purchase the rails (I blame Doug for this as I wanted to buy the rails at the time we purchased the bedroom suit when I was pregnant). Well searching on line I found out the crib/bed was recalled in 2009 because there was a fear babies could get caught in between the rails. There were no reports of injuries so it was a precautionary recall. So the rails were no longer available to purchase. (hhmm, should I dance around and sing "I told ya so Doug"?)

So after some thought and research we have decided to buy her a new bedroom suit. We found a really cute bed and dresser with mirror at Ashley Furniture. We then gave Alex many options of new bedding to choose from. Obviously this was a harder task for a 4 year old than we expected.

Heres one of the many conversations we had with Alex while showing her pictures of bedding:

Mom: Do you like this one Alex?

Alex: I dont like the clock

Mom: The clock on the wall?? We are not buying the clock. Look at the comforter on the bed. Do you like the colors?

Alex: I dont like the clock. I want pink.

Mom: (next option) How about this? Do you like the butterflies? It has pink in it.

Alex: No. I want the light

Mom: We are not looking at the lamp. Look at the blanket on the bed.

Alex: I dont want butt-a-flies.

Mom: (another option) Okay how about this one? This has flowers on the blanket.

Alex: (peering at the computer screen with all the other bedding sets listed) OH Momma! Look, Butt-a-flies! I want those! Purple Butt-a-flies!

Mom: (jaw dropped) What? But you just said.... you.... but... this.....huh?

End of conversation. Daddy and Mommy made the final choice. This is how many of our conversations went when trying to get help from Alex to pick out the bedroom suit. She didnt like the comforter on the bed so she didnt want it. Its difficult to make her understand we arent buying the bedding, we are buying the furniture.

Here is the bed we chose. It has extra storage underneathe! Oh the lil things that excite me.

Here is the dresser and mirror to match.
And here is the new bedding we chose. We matched paint swatches to it as well. Two shades of pink. Dont even ask me how that conversation went with Alex. Lets just say, she apparently doesnt like pink anymore after asking for a pink bedroom. Difficult child, difficult.

New Blog=Fatter Me

One day I was browsing the web for a recipe and came across a baking website/blog.
http://www.bakerella.com/
I found so many yummy recipes to try. And of course I find it at the worst time. Doug and I are trying to watch what we eat, exercise, get fit and all that jazz. But I cant resist wanting to eat practically everything this lady has on her blog. For Dougs birthday I thought I would make something with cheesecake since its his favorite dessert. His birthday is not till April so until then I think Alex and I will have to try a few other recipes. She loves to bake and is always asking to help when Im in the kitchen. Every third Saturday he has to work so I think that is a great opportunity to have a special baking day with my lil sweet pea.

A few pictures from my cell:

Booster Seat for the cars! Alex has been appearing uncomfortable in her car seats. She needs more leg room and to sit up straighter. So we decided to switch to a booster. It was a huge change for Mommy and Daddy as we didnt want to leave the 5 point harness system. But Alex is getting so tall that she was definitely needing out of the car seat.

Oops, forgot to rotate the picture. But as you can see with a tilt of your head, she is learning how to write her name. So proud!!

Valentines Day gifts for Alex: the book "The Grouchy Ladybug" with matching stuffed animal and a singing guitar she has been begging for since January. She loves to "rock out"

The only way this child will let me take a picture of her is if I let her make a funny face. Hey, Ill take it....

Double Take!

OMGoodness! Could it be? Yep! Its me!! Im back. I'm a slacker and cannot believe I let myself go months without updating the blog. I'm sure everyone out there is wondering where the heck are we? Right?...no?...okay I didnt think so either. But we are here! Never went anywhere! Just keeping busy...or being lazy...It seems I update my FaceBook account daily so why should I keep this updated? Well not everyone has FB. Shocking, I know.

So in the last few months we celebrated Christmas, a New Year and Valentines Day. We also celebrated the births of new babies into this wonderful world and celebrated the lives of friends/family we lost. I also created a New Year Resolution for myself. I promise to finish what I have started. Another reason I am updating the blog. I have also received a couple of chances to practice photography by taking photo shoots of friends and family. I still have a lot to learn.

So what is going on? I still have short hair. HA! I havent broke down and bought a wig of long hair. I am still enjoying ym short hair. We will see if I have the same feelings this summer. Speaking of hair, Alex wants hair like Mommy's. Im not chopping her hair but am growing our her bangs and giving her a side part. So right now she is in the midst of a style change and its rather messy looking at times. I just keep reminding myself "Its just temporary. It is growing. Give it time. Dont cut it".

Alexandra has recently started learning how to spell and write her name. We are working on Alex rather than the full Alexandra. She is doing such a great job. She gets so proud of herself when she rights every letter correctly. You can tell by looking at our shower walls what letter she is working on that week. She likes to practice writing on the shower walls with washable crayons made for the tub. Which I hesitated buying for a couple of years. I didnt allow these crayons in our house until she learned right from wrong. Because she is older she understands and knows its wrong to color on the walls. I was afraid introducing her to these crayons too early at an age would make her think it was ok to write on walls with any crayon/marker/pen.

Because she would rather play with the crayons in the tub I have decided to throw away all of her bath toys. You ask, "why do that to her?" well I hate bath toys now. As a child I ALWAYS had bath toys. I didnt realize until having my own child what work it is to have bath toys. Constantly washing, drying, bleaching and disinfecting these darn things. Mold grows on these toys like weeds. And my child likes to put things in her mouth. All of the time. We never ever had to worry about her putting items in her mouth as a baby until she got older, like around 3. The child is always slurping up water, sucking on wash cloths, nibbling toys, playing tea party, etc. We see this mold growing on and in her bath toys and its disgusting. On the evening of her 4th birthday party she took a bath. I caught her sucking on a toy and then noticed after scolding her, the toy had mold in it. Within a few mins I had a barfing child. And it lasted all night until early in the morning. Because of the content of the vomit and no signs of fever, I now think its because of the mold she consumed. Absolutely disgusting. And I feel so bad as if it's my fault.
So I decided, no more toys in the bath tub.

I have lots of pictures to share but all are on my laptop at home. I will update very soon

Celebrating 30 Years

Today is my 30th birthday. I have planned for many months to donate my hair to a charity that provides wigs to sick children who have lost their hair because of an illness. I researched for weeks and found Wigs For Kids. My cousin informed me of the program, advising they do not charge the family in need of the hair, unlike Locks of Love. My closests friends Kari and Amy joined me today at the salon taking play by play pictures. I was suprised I did not cry. I was so excited for a change and to donate my hair. I have never had short hair so this was an extreme step for me. I did not go in with a style picked out. I just let her "wing it". And it turned out great1 I love it. I love my part has moved to the side. I never thought I could do that after 30 years of being in the middle. I love how its short and out of the way. I love I dont get it caught in the door, caught in zippers, caught under my arm. I love sitting next to Doug in the car and begging him to get off my hair that he has laid his arm on while using the arm rest.

This is only my first day with the short hair. And I am nervous to watch it because Im afraid I wont get it to the style the same way. But I am willing to work with it and try.

And for some reason when I post pics using my laptop, it doesnt allow me to rearrange the pics. So they are out of order, Sorry.

October Update

So now that its the beginning of November, maybe I should update everyone on how the month of October was. It was fine, thats about it. Pretty simple, huh? I couldn't end the blog like that.

The weekend before Halloween we went to Waterman Farms in Wanamaker to pick pumpkins. It was, as always, a good time. Alex rode a pony which then made Doug get the idea that he needed to buy her a horse. We also watched the pumpkin eating Dinosaur get fed. No, Doug is not buying Alex a dinosaur too. We enjoyed their homemade kettle popcorn. One bag was obviously not enough so Doug bought two as if we need it. But it is only once a year we get to eat this oh-so-yummy snack. And I have to confess. We ate both bags within a couple of days. We continues our time by taking a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins.

We carved out pumpkins a couple of nights before Halloween. Alex picked out Cinderella's shoe for her pumkpin, By the time I was done carving her shoe, I barely had enough time to carve my pumpkin. Maybe Ill save Cinderella's carriage for next year. I chose a quick and easy scary face. Alex picked out a skeleton for Dougs pumpkin.

Alex was dressed up as Cinderella for Halloween. She wore a Disney Authentic Cinderella dress we got from our summer vacation. She also wore her princess crown and light up wand. Her and her best friend Lance who was a police officer walked door to door collecting candy. Momma dressed up as a black cat, sporting black fluffy slippers as paws. A very comfy walk for me. We had to our Trick or Treating time a lil early because Alex was having stomach problems. She had the problems through out the day. Doug had to rush her home once and the second time we decided to stay home. But overall it was a good time and Alex had a lot of fun.

Now thats it November, we are preparing for birthdays and holidays. Its the busiest time of the year for the Thayers.

How Could I Forget...

Alex is getting married....so she says.

For a couple of months now Alex has been telling everyone and anyone "When I get tall, I marry Justin Beaver." Not when she gets older, but when she gets taller she feels its time to settle down and find a husband. She has recently become obsessed with Mr. Beiber. Jokingly Ill respond and tell her "Yes, when you turn 18, he will be 31 and you can marry Justin Beiber. You can take all of his money and help Mommy and Daddy retire early." She doesnt find it funny.

She will bring up Justin "Beaver" out of the blue. She will ask me if she can wear a pretty dress because "Justin Beaver will love it and will want to dance wit me at da ball."

She has said this so many times that now my godson Lance can point out a Justin Beiber song and tell his mom "Justin Beiber, Alex will marry him". - No Lance, your not suppose to support this. Your suppose to tell Alex that you are her boyfriend and fight for her love.

The ladies at school, Amy and Melissa, have also been made aware of her recent proposal. One day she announced to the class her plans of marriage. She was quite the entertainment that day according to the ladies.

Its really cute to see her with her first celebrity crush.

This is how its suppose to be "Lance and Alexandra = <3"

We've Been Fooled!

Saturday we had a full day of plans which included, cleaning, laundry, opening a new bank account, hanging Halloween decorations, grocery store, making an Eclair cake, building a shoe storage compartment for Alex's closet, shopping for a pair of khakis for me, bday present shopping for Alex and meeting with friends at the end of the night to celebrate a birthday. Alex would be spending the night with Grandma Grape as well. Alex had different plans. Her and Doug had a "slumber party" in the living room Friday night. I did not participate and enjoyed our bed all to myself. I was woke up by Doug about 5:30 Saturday morning "Alex is getting sick". I rush her to the bathroom and Doug cleans up the blankets. She did not upchuck much of anything. We then spent the whole day at home contemplating if she was really sick or not. No fever, huge appetite, running around playing and jumping. Now because she had thrown up we immediately cut her off any dairy products and allowed her only items from the BRAT diet. She of course wanted more to eat. It is so hard to make her understand she cannot eat her favorite snacks yogurt and grapes if she is truely sick. So that was a fight for most of the day.
Through out the day Alex continued to act normal. When she wanted to bounce on the bed or run around with the dog we calmed her down, reminding her if she got sick again she could not go to Grandma Grapes. By late afternoon she still seemed to be fine, no fever, huge appetite and still playing. We decided to take her to Grandmas and go out with our friends. We pack, drop her off, say our goodbyes and off to shop for her birthday present. A couple of hours later we get a call from Grandma Grape. Its Alex and she is crying, begging to come home because "she is sick". We contemplate picking her up, after a few more phone calls to Alex we decide to pick her up.
We arrive at Grandmas to see Alex lounging, looking fine and happier than ever to see us. Doug immediately gets mad that she doesnt appear sick. We take her home and tell her the only reason we are all sleeping in the living room is to watch her, to make sure she doesnt get sick again. We wanted to her understand it was not a slumber party. She was sad. She cried and fell asleep pretty quick.
She slept like a log all night. No sounds, no waking up, nothing. She woke up bright and early the next morning in a great mood. After asking many questions as to why she called us crying the night before we finally get out of her that she didnt have an upset tummy and only wanted to come home to have a "slumber party" with mommy and daddy in the living room.

Another lesson learned.

End of Summer 2010

Okay, I apologize. I am officially the worse blogger out there. Its been almost 3 months since I last posted. Lets just say, I have been busy. Its hard to get me to sit still long enough to update my blog. Its even harder to get me to sit long enough to watch a movie from beginning to end. Just ask Doug. I dont care to go to the movie theater so much that he has a movie dates with my friend Kari. Darn Adult ADHD (I diagnosed myself after watching commercials about it).

Our summer has been filled with swimming at the pool, hanging with our bestest friends Rick, Kari and Lance, yard work, home improvements, trip to IL, Alex started gymnastics again, my first Colts game and first time visiting the Lucas Oil Stadium, MotoGP race weekend and much more. Maverick and Riggs turned 1 on July 4th. Lucifer just turned 7 on Sept 9th. We had our first trip to the vet for something other than vaccinations. Maverick was down over the Labor Day weekend, sleeping all day, barely eating and drinking, hiding and walking funny. This really got me worried and a few times cried my eyes out because it brought back sad memories of Yasmine, just before she passed away. I took him to the dr to determine he had an infection, possibly respiratory infection. He has almost completely healed with the help of prescriptions. Big sigh of relief for us.

After 7 years Doug and I finally agreed on a decor for our bedroom and did a total makeover to it. All new bedding, pillows, sheets and painted walls finally. Its very bright and bold. We love it.

Alexandra is doing great in preschool. She can color so well for a 3 year old. She has learned her shapes and counts to 20. She knows her colors. Her vocabulary and use of words is extending everyday. She is always asking questions. She is curious and wants to learn. Many people compliment how she talks and acts older than 3. We are very proud parents.

So now comes the end of another summer. Fall is very busy for us. Many birthdays in November, including the princess and my 30th birthday.

Speaking of my birthday. Im thinking of making a huge change. Chopping my hair off. Yes, all gone, chopped, up to my shoulders. I want to donate to "Wigs for Kids", a charity similar to "Locks of Loves" but is 100% free to the families in need of a wig. Im super nervous and still debating what kind of hair style I want. I have never ever had short hair, only trim my hair a few inches at the most. The shortest its ever been is just above my bra. That was short for me.

Well its late and Alex has fallen asleep before we were able to start our movie. I will do my best and get back in gear, keeping this up to date. :)

Zumba!

I have heard of this new aerobic, dance, workout "thang" called Zumba. I also hear people are losing tons of weight and getting totally fit doing this "dance". So lastnight Im sitting in bed and come across an infomercial advertising Zumba work out videos. I watch it. I get hooked. So I start searching for classes in Greenwood. Yes! The Community Center offers a 6 week course for just $18 on Saturdays or Tuesdays.

So I talk to a friend at work and get her all fired up about the idea. We are going this Saturday to our first class (the second class of the 6 week session) and will attempt this new aerobic craze.

Wish us luck!!!!

Meet Fred

Yesterday Alex and I were using the left over bread from dinner to feed the fish. Throwing the bread into the pond and then suddenly a turtle comes to the top of the water and eats the bread. This guy gets brave enough to even come to the bank and eat the bread on the side. So I put together a quick plan to catch him. Whispering to Alex I tell her shes going to "help" me catch him. As she is holding the bowl of bread (Great help Alex!) I throw more bread into the water, get him closer and closer, croutching down next to the water I wait for him. He grabs another piece of bread, turns around and eats it under the water. I stick my hands in the water and out comes a turtle. How exciting! No need to waste money on fishing line and bait! Just use your hands.
I ask Alex what she wants to name this turtle. "Daddy!" she exclaims. "Hhhmmm...How about Fred?" I question her. And she agrees. We take a few pictures, show the neighbor and release him back into the pond. And of course I tease Doug about how good of a fisherman I am and now have to prove to him I did in fact catch him with my bare hands.

Alex feeding Fred.

"Fred, my lil buddy. We have to show up Doug one more time. So when you see me out there with more bread, just work with me again."

"Bye Fred! See you soon!"

Turtle, Turtle, Turtle

One day driving down the road I see a lil dot hurrying across the road. "Oh NO! I just ran over a turtle!" is my first reaction. So of course, I have to turn around. I either have to save the life of a lost turtle or bury the evidence of a murder I just committed. So we do a "Uey" or "Flip-a-Bitch" as my bestie Kari-Kari calls it. After waiting for several cars to pass and road to clear, we (Alex and I) start driving very very slow. No turtle. Darn it! Flip-another-bitch. "Momma, what you driving?" asks Alex (her way of asking why am I driving so crazy making all these turns). "Oh just looking for a turtle." Now I have her attention. Searching again, creeping very slowly on the road, looking for a turtle and trying not to look so obvious to other cars, we dont find the turtle. One more "uey". "Wwweeeee!!!" says Alex as we make our third turn around. Creeping, creeping..... TURTLE!! I turn on my flashers, park the car, jump out, grab him and run back to the car. He is alive!!!! Alex and I named him Lucky. Very suiting for a turtle small enough to fit in my cup holder who crossed two lanes of traffic, dodging about 6 cars equaling 24 tires which doesnt include the first time I passed him and then 3 times I turned around patroling the road... thats an additional 16 tires he missed. Just think, if there were semis traveling down the road... GASP!

We took him home, introduced him to Daddy and then the three of us let him go in our pond.

and then washed our hands... LOL

Disney Trip 2010

We went to Disney World for 6 days, 5 nights and had a great time. Alex enjoyed the airplane rides to and from FL. She sat by the window both times, watched her movies, ate pretzels and slept. We stayed at the Contemporary Resort and had a great view of the lake and pools. We had the perfect view of the Cinderellas Castle from the resort where we could enjoy fireworks everynight without fighting the huge crowds. We did go to the Magic Kingdom 3 times, experiencing the Spectro Magic Parade and fireworks in person. Alex was dressed as a princess the first day we were there. She was over whelmed when she got to meet Cinderella, Princess Aurora and Belle. We also met many other characters including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and a few others. We had dinner with Mickey and gang. We also had lunch with Pooh and his friends.

I could go on forever about our experieces but I wont. Over all we had the time of our lives, Alex was in heaven and we enjoyed the much needed time off from work and away from boring Indiana. We went all out this year because it was our first family vacation. I would love to go back in a few years. It would be even more fun if our best friends Kari and Rick could go along with Lance, Alexandras best friend.

I had taken over 600 pictures and edited them down to just over 400. At home we are having internet issues so it will take some time to add photos but sooner or later I will get them on here...