Viva Las Vegas!!!

Las Vegas, Sin City, City of Lights, City That Never Sleeps….you did not disappoint!!!  I can definitely see how that city holds up to its reputation—what an amazing place!  I’ve always heard that it’s easy to be addicted, and after one short weekend there I’m already planning my next getaway (ahem, I turn 30 in October….)!

While the weekend was nothing short of amazing, it also had its bumps in the road.  First of all, it was my very FIRST time being away from Aubrie for any length of time, so I was pretty bummed and guilty to be leaving her behind in Iowa.  Then, both mine and Bobbi’s flights were delayed by an hour (mine for a late flight attendant, hers for mechanical failure), so we didn’t get there quite as early as we’d hoped.  Still, had a bit of time to fill up our travel cups and hit the strip with daylight wearing on.  And oh, the things we saw….random characters taking money to pose for pictures.  Some family friendly, others not quite as much. 

My papparazzi mode went into high gear for awhile.  We walked the strip taking in all the crazy sights and sounds, then split up into our groups: Team Bachelor and Team Bachelorette. 

 

We girls had a BLAST getting ready and eating up a bunch of delicious sushi (who knew I’d like the taste of eel??).  I won’t do a boring old play-by-play, but our night included a fun little show in Planet Hollywood, then heading to a club—where we spent the rest of the night.  At least until our feet screamed bloody murder in our stillettos and our stomachs decided Denny’s would be a good place for a 4am snack.  (Really, it’s not). 

Our second bump in the road occurred later that morning, after we’d gotten our mandatory 4 hrs of sleep.  We woke to gray chunky water in both sinks, and freezing cold showers.  Yay.  Two hours, a maintenance man, a trip to the lobby to complain, and 10 drink tickets/8 buffet vouchers and the hint of an upgraded room later we were on our way for the day.  Obviously 2 shades grumpier since we lost 2 hrs of touristing/pool time.  Which ended up being a little bit ok, since we all left the pool area that night no lighter than a neon strawberry.  Vegas sun is a little stronger than corn-growing Iowa sun.

 

Second bump: Upon return from the pool our sinks were once again backed up, and showers still cold.  Maintenance is obviously worth their weight in gold at the MGM.  They got to grace us with their presence again, but this time we weren’t able to get that upgrade (we were actually offered a DOWNGRADE to a single king bed room—not the nice suite we had—no thanks).  Went to dinner with the guys at the delicious buffet in the hotel.  THAT was worth it.  Seriously really good food, and LOTS of it, any variety, any color, any flavor from any part of the world you can imagine!  Not to mention at least 100 dessert (YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!)

  We all stuck together the second night, both touristy and fun clubbing stuff, and ended up being a pretty late (or early?) night—getting back to the suite (and COLD SHOWERS?!?!?!)  not that long before the sun came up.  But it was worth every second of the, uhhhh, less than comfortable day and trip back home.  Vegas was so much fun, and I feel that we didn’t get to spend quite enough time there.  Maybe a Thursday-Sunday trip will be in order in October :)

DAY AT THE ZOO

Aubrie and mommy took a trip to the zoo today!  We met up with Kelsey and her girls, Myla and Kaylee, and Anna and her girl Cameron.  Cameron is 3 wks older and is one of Aubrie’s friends (or at least her mom and I like to think they’re good friends w/all the playdates we’ve had together!), and I met Kelsey through work—Myla is 2 and Kaylee will be a year old in a month or so. 

It was exciting to be out in the nice, warm and sunny weather with the girls, and to be enjoying the animals at the zoo too!   Aubrie hadn’t been at the zoo since Halloween (which didn’t really count because none of the animals were out), and the time before that she was maybe 8 months old.  What 8 month old is interested in zoo animals??  I figured this would be a good age for her to go, since she’s so fascinated with the fishies at daycare and with all the animals she sees around town or in her books (all of them “Puppies” might I add!) 

3 exhibits in Aubrie decided she was a big girl and didn’t need to be tied down to her stroller anymore.  In fact, she was SO BIG that she needed to blindly push her own stroller into walls, the back of other people’s legs, etc.  Silly girl!  She started naming the animals…the red panda was ‘Elmo’ and pretty much everything else, except the actual fish, were ‘puppies’.  Can you tell this girl loves her furry brother??  She had a great time watching the otter swim circles in front of her, finally warming up enough to try and intimidate him (insert toddler’s ferocious growl)….until he popped up right in front of her, causing her to jump back in surprise!  I would say that was probably one of her favorite exhibits.

Aubrie trying to intimidate the otters

 

We meandered slowly to the goat/llama cages where you can feed them.  Surprisingly Aubrie really didn’t want much to do with them (surprising since she was so infatuated with the goats at Howell’s Pumpkin Patch in October!!).  Half hour break at the playground and slides, followed by a minor catastrophe when Miss Myla was running while watching her pretty new shoes—head vs. golf cart bumper = bumper wins + very upset toddler :(  After ensuring there were no concussions or goose eggs we went on to eat a snack near the peacock and eagle cages.  Aubrie, being the crazy goofball she is, wouldn’t sit still to eat.  Instead she marched around on the sidewalks, alternating lunges and high knees, then trying to imitate a peacock call (in her case it ended up sounding more like a grunty-scream).  Girl was gettin’ jiggy with her animal friends:) 

Aubrie’s favorite exhibit was the monkey exhibit.  And I’m not sure if it’s because the monkeys were more interesting, or if she was just having so much fun giggling up a storm with Myla and Cameron!  I wish I understood toddler babble!  The baboons were having a lazy afternoon, sitting in the sun and scratching each others backs….while the Gibbons (an ape of some sort) were partying it up in their cage—hooting and hollering and swinging all over the place.  The girls had a good time trying to have a conversation with them….who knows what they said ;)  After a quick trip to Africa to visit the giraffes and the tigers, the girls made it known that it was time to go. 

The excursion to the zoo was an exhausting one for Miss Aubrie….we were no less than a mile away from home (which is halfway to the zoo!) when she zonked out in the backseat.  That does it: I think I’ll be buying a season pass to the zoo ;)

A Quick One

Just a quick not here before I head off for an afternoon of money-making.

This past week has been interesting to say the least.  Just when I think things are turning around for the better, something else falls down on me.  BUT I have to tell myself a few things to make myself better: at least I have a job, even though I don’t work all my hours.  At least I have to only get ONE root canal, instead of 2.  At least I don’t have to worry about myself or my beautiful daughter’s health and safety due to the earthquakes and radiation/nuclear factory disasters in Japan.  At least the state trooper was nice enough to cut 5 mph off my speeding ticket after I was able to prove to him that I felt sick.  You know, things of that nature…..I need to stop being so hard on myself and the whole “pity me” syndrome I’ve been having.  Things could be SO MUCH worse.  And I’m thankful beyond belief that we are where we are.

Aubrie has been able to enjoy some gorgeous warm weather..slathered on some sunscreen to the chubby arms and legs and we got ourselves some sun time!  So much fun to watch her exploring the outdoors, watching and learning about everything around her.  The weather was in the 80s and sunny for a few days, and we got some good use out of the picnic table and slide we got her! 

New things in Aubrie’s world:

She’s undressing herself.  She’s drawing and coloring on everything she can—the girl’s obsessed with crayons!  She’s pointing to objects she knows and identifying them (such as clock, truck, ball, milk, juice, etc.  She’s also adding to her vocab every day.  New words are: stuck, thanks you (day-doo), please (pees), and go.  She’s also throwing both her hands up and asking us questions, in baby babble.  Usually ending with the word “go”. 

I am thankful for….

This past week has really thrown me for a loop.  I am really struggling with getting my scheduled hours in at work, which makes my paycheck take a huge hit…especially with all my bills and upcoming trip to Vegas.  Credit card dispute on top of that (I won’t go into detail on that but not pretty!).  And then I find out a friend’s husband was killed in a car accident that left his 6 young sons fatherless, including a 2 1/2 month old baby.  So, with all this devastation in the lives of many around us, I thought it would be appropriate to thank God for the things in my life that he has blessed me with.

I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends, and that they have stuck with me through thick in thin throughout my life.  There are many people who aren’t real close with their families, or who don’t even have siblings to share their lives (and everything else!) with.  Even though I’ve wreaked some havoc on the lives of my sisters and parents, I am grateful for all of you for being there for me.  For supporting me and allowing me to lean on you when I’ve needed to borrow your strength.  Thank you for letting me vent when it’s the last thing you wanted to deal with.  Thank you for letting me share my opinion, even when it didn’t necessarily jive with yours.  Thank you for all of your help throughout the years.  And…thank you for letting me wear your clothes, use your shampoo, drive your car, stay at your house, use your makeup, and for whatever else I’ve borrowed throughout the years ;)

I am thankful for my awesome boyfriend.  We’ve been through a lot, and while we’ve had our trying times and our fair share of ‘disagreements’, at the end of the day I can still say that I love you and want to spend my life with you.  Thank you for your support in times when I’ve been down: physically, emotionally, and financially.  You have no idea how much it means to me that you’re still by my side after everything.

I am incredibly thankful for my gorgeous, smart, charismatic daughter.  I am most thankful for her.  She has taught me so much in her short life: how to truly love, how to be independent, how to care for others without a thought for yourself, and just how much life changes when you have a child.  She is the most amazing part of my life, and I cannot imagine my life without her.  I would never want to: she is the #1 reason for everything I do and say.  I am also thankful for her health.  In my line of work it is not uncommon for children to become angels much sooner that anyone anticipates.  I am thankful she is my earthly angel, and that I get to hug and squeeze and kiss on her all day long.   

 

I am thankful for my job.  Even though we are not busy enough to stay fully staffed, I am thankful for the hours I work.  I love my line of work—it is beyond rewarding!  I love seeing a baby born barely halfway through the pregnancy get to go home with their families in a few months time.  I enjoy being able to place a tiny miracle into their mother’s arms for the first time, to help with the first bath, to teach them how to change a diaper or feed their child the first time, to be the physical/emotional strength the parent needs to cope with the road blocks in their child’s health.  I love that I can go into work taking care of patients, and in the end, say that I’ve gained wonderful new friends that I will never forget.  Each tiny baby, each new family, each big brother or sister reminds me of something I will never forget: that each and every new life is a miracle and we should treasure every moment of that life to it’s fullest.

I am thankful for the material things in my life.  They are not needed to stay alive in this world, but they sure make our lives more comfortable. 

I am thankful for my adorable puppy Gizzy.  You were my first child, and you’ll always be my baby boy!  Thanks for being such a great guard dog, an unpredictable goofball, and a good snuggler and tear-licker when I’m sad!

 

Last, but not least (and I know I’m leaving many things out that I’m grateful for), I’m thankful for my life.  I’ve pushed to the edge of the cliff and back countless times, and I’m SO grateful that I am still standing on solid ground.  Thanks to the help and support of my family and friends, as well as people I don’t even know.  I plan to live my life to it’s fullest, to enjoy it, to try new things and gain new friends.  That is what we’re here for: to leave our mark on the world. 

Just a few of my favorite things:

 

 

Mazatlan 2007

Just a reflection

Have you ever had something happen that makes you happy, but also sad, at the same time?  That’s kind of what is happening these last few weeks, especially with one of my super secret places of work. Now that wouldn’t be a problem, it might even be welcomed by some, if it were summer.  In my case I’m slightly ok with it, only because it gives me more time with my Aubrie, but also because daycare won’t charge us for the hours that I get cut from work early.  That’s the good thing.  The bad part is that it’s started to happen almost every other shift that I work, and my vacation time is dwindling in epic proportions, so pretty soon I’m not going to have much of a paycheck…NOT a good thing with student loans, new car payment, etc.   Not that I’m wishing for babies to be sick or born very early, but really….I would just like to actually work my hours and get paid to do so!  Thank goodness for homecare in this aspect, because at least that helps me stay on top of the bills!  Hence, the whole happy vs. sad battle continues on…..

Aubrie is learning loads of new words by the day! It’s crazy what she picks up on.  Just the other day I saw her accidentally bump her head on something so I asked “Did you bonk your head?”  To which she grabbed her head with both hands and said “Ow!”  Where in the world????  We are also learning that drinking bathwater is “Ucky”, and while she does repeat it back to me, it certainly doesn’t prevent her from trying to do it over and over again!  Silly silly goose.  She has learned to say Gizzy better—at least people can somewhat understand it now, and can say Zach (sounds like zhash) the neighbor boy that she plays with sometimes.  She can also point to where he lives when she’s asked! 

Did you bonk your head?

Oh how I love warmer weather!  This past week we’ve gone for lots of long walks outside and have gone to Gray’s Lake to play on the playground.  Aubrie loved the swings and the slides--kept trying to climb up them--while her buddy Zach just wasn’t so excited about them!  We’ve enjoyed time playing outside and watching Aubrie throw the ball and play with Gizzy.  Granted her throws are more like flimsy little drops at times, but Gizzy chases it still the same.  This summer is going to be SO much fun!  Aubrie is old enough to enjoy doing things outside and running around, which will get me off my lazy butt and out teaching my little girl the wonderful parts of summer :)  I’m even excited about the thunderstorms…..I love me some good ole rolling thunder in the distance.  However, not so much the tornado warnings that go with it.  I feel like we were tempting fate today—got slammed with two massive tornado-producing storms back to back early this evening, and heard the sirens going off at least 3 times.  Thank goodness we only had a bit of rain and maybe a little hail, but neighboring suburbs and towns were not quite as lucky as we were.  I think those warnings are even scarier when you have your own child to worry about.

enjoying an afternoon at Gray’s Lake

So my little sister is getting married in, oh, 2.5 months.  Wow…..maybe I should start looking into my maid of honor duties a little more seriously?!?  We’ve got the bachelorette party in a month or so—in VEGAS!  Pretty excited about that one.  May have to even do some fist-pumping action :)  It’s bound to be a good time, right?  I mean, Vegas….in April (while Midwesterners are still dealing with the thaw and clumps of mud)…?  ohhhhh yeahhhhhhhh! 

Sculpture Park in DSM

A Little Miss Smarty Pants :)

WARNING: The blog you are about to read is of a proud momma writing about how smart her firstborn child is.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy 17 month birthday Miss Aubrie!  Where or where has my little baby gone? I can’t believe how fast she is growing up…..Every day she amazes me even more and more with how much she knows and remembers.  This is the newest trick: we have a word/picture book that we read to her and point out pictures/objects at least once a day.  So now she’s become pretty darn good at pointing to the pictures that we’ve asked her to point to.  These are the words she knows and can point to, time and time again….ball, chair, puppy, table, flower, frog, cow, fish, truck, apple, cheese, socks, and owl.  Holy cow!!! I promise I’m going to try really hard to get a video of her doing that and post so you all can see it….it’s super adorable, and you should see the proud look on her face when we praise her and tell her how smart she is!

I know this won’t last real long, but she’s also really good at following directions.  If we tell her the clothes are dirty, she grabs them off the floor and throws them in her hamper.  Yesterday while putting her laundry away, I turned around to find her carrying a stack of her shirts to give to me to put away…a few minutes later she came back with her stack of pants!

 

The other thing she does is point to her different body parts when we ask.  You know, the whole “Head, shoulders knees and toes” game??  She’s got the hair, ear, nose, tummy, toes game going on.  And that girl knows her name, and says it while pointing to herself….as well as saying and pointing to mommy and daddy, and Gizzy.  And boy, is she proud of it :)  Need video proof? You’ve got it!

Little Miss Smarty Pants

I think the little munchkin is finally feeling better.  The steroids must really be working, because we’ve hardly had to give her any albuterol nebs lately.  Her appetite is very slowly coming back (thank goodness, the munchkin lost a pound in the last 2 weeks from being sick), and I can see the crazy little happy & impish girl that is my daughter poking through the dark “sick” clouds.  FINALLY!  I missed her giggles!  And now I get to enjoy a whole day off with her tomorrow….hope the weather is in the 70s again so we can all go for a long walk!  The kids are sick of being cooped up….

 

Countdown to Spring….T minus 5 days!

We’re. Almost. There! !!! It’s almost officially Spring, and I cannot WAIT for it!  I remember last year on the first day of Spring we made a snowman and went out to take a picture…hopefully that won’t be the case this year.  Kris is taking the snow tires off the Mustang soon, which can only mean we’ll get a blizzard in the next few weeks, right?!?!  We’ve had it made the last few days—it’s been nice and Spring-like, with sunny blue skies and warm temps, with just the tiniest hint of warmish/coolish breeze.  Today was so gorgeous that Aubrie, Gizzy and I took a much needed trip outside to enjoy the sunshine and mild temps.  This was Aubrie’s first time walking around in our backyard, at least without snow on the ground, and she was having a blast running back and forth, waving at the neighbor’s dogs (and snuggling close when they got a little too loud).   We blew bubbles, kicked and chased a ball around, and watched Gizzy and the neighbor puppy, Presto, run around and wrestle each other.  Aubrie thought that was pretty hilarious—she loves those puppies :)  It was nice to wear just a sweatshirt and be comfortable. I can’t wait until we set up her new jungle gym and picnic table out there once it gets warmer! It’s around 50 degrees (though our outdoor thermometer says 75—its in the sun though, real accurate I bet!). 

I love how the bubble highlighted the tree…super cool effect!!!!

Another reason I can’t wait for Spring…..the crud that’s going around, and for cold and flu season to be over!  Aubrie just can’t kick this crap in the butt!  She started making progress, as in showing that her ear wasn’t hurting as much, but then her cough got a lot worse.  Poor girl was just hacking away almost every few minutes or so and not seeming to get much relief (or only short-lived relief) from her nebulizer Albuterol treatments.  Kris picked her up from daycare yesterday and sent me a message right away at work saying she sounded terrible….and this morning she sounded SO HORRIBLE!  It almost sounded like she was drowning in her own phlegm (I know, nice.)  It just sounded so thick and heavy and nasty and her coughs were not making a difference—she sounded just as nasty after she coughed!  We were lucky enough to get an appointment with the nurse practitioner (my favorite one to see at her Dr office anyways) this morning, so after a little play session with grandma Burclaw we went to get her checked out.  Good news—she heard no evidence of pneumonia or bronchitis in her lungs, and less wheezing than last week, but it sounded thick so she ordered some steroids for her to take for a few weeks.  This is to help her lungs out, and hopefully we won’t have to use the nebulizer as much.  Downside to the steroids—grumpiness and not able to sleep as well—aka baby ‘roid rage.  The bad news for the appointment was that while her ear looked better (not as nasty, red or bulging as much), it is still infected and inflamed.  So she’s going to start her on yet another antibiotic for that.  This makes # 4 or 5 for ear infections, and I hope we can end at that for the season….otherwise I fear they’ll start talking ear tubes with us…….  Ugh, this sick stuff is annoying!!  I’m thinking we’ll have to get an order faxed over to daycare to have them give her treatments throughout the day, as she’ll be there 2 more days this week.  As long as it makes her feel and breathe better, I’m ok with it!

 

Aubrie LOVING the puppies playing!

 

Phew….all of this sunshine and bird singing gets me in the mood for…..you got it….a little Spring cleaning (while the baby is sleeping!)