2012

So as you can tell, I haven't been posting to my blog as much as I had anticipated... maybe that should be my New Year's resolution... hhhmmmmmm??

Things have definitely been busy, but we've just been doing the say-to-day things and have sure been staying busy doing it. Richie and I have been doing the gym thing for a bit now, and I must say that it feels good to be working out and getting healthy again. Connor loves the daycare there too, and they love him too... who would have thought!?!? Lol. It is amazing how much personality he has now. Wow, almost 18 months old, where has the time gone? Besides walking around and being curious about EVERYTHING, he has quite the little vocabulary going! I always thought that if I was able to stay home, I would be really into teaching him baby sign language, but he says so many things and understands so much, I feel like for us it is kind of a waste of time. He is pretty good at telling me what he wants or responding to me. However, since one of his new favorite words is "NO", it makes for interestingly funny conversations. You can say anything to him or ask him anything, and "No" is typically the answer. My Mom has told me that this probably wont go away until he is 30... haha, thanks Mom.

Richie recently celebrated his 6-month anniversary with NSTec at the Nevada Test Site. Boy it is nice to have him back to work again, and I know he would agree. He works pretty long hours though, so we really don't see much of him during the week, but that's what makes his 4-day work weeks even better... a 3-day weekend!

I have been doing the "gym thing" now for about a month and a half... well, a little longer, but consistently for about 6 weeks. I have really enjoyed having some "me" time and trying to finally lose some of this baby weight that I have been holding onto for way too long now. We joined a new gym, "24 Hour Fitness", and I like it a lot better than our previous one. I have tried a few classes, Spin, Body Pump, and Zumba... but I have to say that Spin and Body Pump are my favorites... I feel like I actually make myself work out when I go to them.

Like I said, my resolution will be to write on my blog more... we all know I tend to have plenty to say! =)

Connor's Word List as of today:

Mama
Dada
Nana (banana)
Apple
Hi
Bye or Buh-Bye
Dog
Bubble
Boom
Boo
Book
Ball
Whoa
Cool
Oh
Uh-oh
No
Yeah
Shoe
Elmo
Blanky
Duck
Stinky
Poo-Poo
Nose
Eye
Toes
Juice

And his phrases so far:

"what's that?"
"Where did it go?"
"What did you do?"
"Thank you"
"Quack-quack"

And if you ask him what sound a wolf makes.... he'll tell you... "ooooowwwwwwwwww"... lol. He really is too cute. And is such a happy kid! Pictures from the last few months to follow in the next post.

Livin life!

So, since it's been like 4 1/2 months since I've posted... I'm gonna catch you up the short and sweet way....

*Connor started walking!
*Connor's FIRST birthday!!
*Moved to new house
*Quit old job
*Started new job
*Trip to Utah to see brother-in-law's new awesome house!
*Dino museum
*Connor's first fishing adventure
*Left new job (lol)
*Stay-at-home-Mommy!!
*Children's Museum
*Trip to Cali to visit Richie's parents
*Pumpkin patch
*4 hour plane ride to Ohio with Connor, did good that trip
*IN OHIO
*Dad inducted in High School Hall of Honors
*Visited home town and the fam
*Connor LOVES Little Einsteins on Disney
*Still miss my family TONS
*Connor went to first college visit to get Auntie @ Univ. of Dayton
*Hung out with besties
*Another pumpkin patch
*4 hour plane ride with Connor back to Vegas, pretty much sucked
*Back to the gym! Bout time!
*Connor's 2nd Halloween, but FIRST trick or treating!
*My handsome little dragon would rather pass out candy
*Connor has learned tons of words and understands so much
*Love Connor's dancing
*In a happy place =)

And coming up..... Richie's birthday and our 2 year Anniversary and Thanksgiving.... where has the year gone!?!?!!

Here are a few cute pictures from the last 4 months...

Like I said, short and sweet...

I promise now that I'm home, I'll keep up WAY better!

May Pictures...

My little mohawk man at his cousin, Bryce's 1st Birthday!


Babies babies babies!


His Dad was playing around and messing up his hair


Me and my handsome little man


Friends for 10 years... used to party together, no we spend our time chasing and talking about our little munchkins!


Connor crawling around!


The fam at Alex's Graduation


Connor and his Auntie A =)


3 generations! And Paw Paw's first great grandbaby!


Yma pushing Connor on the swing!


Fam at the park!


Me and my baby, and Niqole and her baby Chopper =)


Airplane ride home to see Daddy!

May flowers bring..... Oh wait, May is ALREADY over!!!

So we have almost made it to summer time in Vegas, and I'll be honest... the weather has been quite pleasant!! The highest I think we've hit is 94 so far, and for the beginning of June, that is usually not the case!!

I feel like the month of May is one big blur.... there seemed to be so much going on!! My first official Mother's Day, our neice, Alexis' and nephew, Bryce's birthdays, the Local 525 Union Old Timers Picnic, and Connor and my trip back to Ohio for a week!! I'm telling you, busy busy!!

Well start with my FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!! It was really a perfect day of doing nothing!! Richie made me breakfast and we hung out at the house and spent time together as a family... just the way I like it!!

We had Alexis' and Bryce's birthday parties at the beginning of May and Connor had a blast at both! He was so worn out! I love seeing him around a bunch of other kids, he loves to interact and since most of the kids are older and walking, he crawls around chasing them!!

We also had Richie's Local 525 Union Picnic and it was set up a little differently this year than normal, and I'm not sure that everyone liked it. But regardless, we got to drink free beer, eat free food, and hang out with a lot of good friends. It was kind of funny how this year was different for more reasons than just the set up... there were a lot of babies this year that weren't born yet last year!! We set up our canopy and layed out a blanket, and pretty much let Connor have free roam of the land (within some restriction of course.. lol). There were a lot of kids games and activities that he'll be able to participate more with next year, but it was fun watching our friends little ones partake.

..... And in that very same day, I had a little accident and had to go to the ER... All I will tell of the story (because it makes me feel like a moron) is that it invloves a bungee cord strap down that wasn't hooked in properly hitting me right in the face. Well, to be exact, right above my upper lip, splitting it from under my nose to the top of my upper lip. I had to get 4 stiches on the inside (it split all the way through) and 5 stitches on the outside. And all of this, two days before Connor and my trip back to Ohio for my little sister's graduation. Nothing like going to see your family and friends with a big fat 'Angelina' lip! Lol.

That then brings us to our visit to Ohio!! I was so happy to go home and visit for a week! We hadn't seen my family since Christmas, and Connor has changed so much since then, so it was about time! The airplane rides went 'ok' for the most part. The only time we had trouble was when Connor would get tired and didn't want to fall asleep in my arms, but for the most part he did a great job!! We flew on Frontier Airlines, and I must say that ALL the staff was so helpful and really understanding.

We got to Ohio and our trip started off!! Everyone (especially Yma) was SOOOOO excited to see their little peanut Connor!! We quickly learned that my parents house is not baby proofed at all, which kind of made me laugh. I really wasn't expecting it to be, but last time they saw Connor he didn't really move around! Lol.

Here's a quick recap of events from our trip... Dinner at the Works (old restaurant I used to bartend at), shopping trip with my Mom, visiting with my friends Sandy, Julie, and Stephanie and all our little ones, including Steph's newest additiona, Raquel who was only a week old! We all haven't hung out together in years!! Julie also took my stitches out for me (she's an RN)... Thanks for saving me time and money Jules!! Alex's HS Graduation (still can't believe she is that old already!), grad party with all the fam (and Paw Paw's 84th Birthday), going out with Sandy without the babies, and a very humid park day with the family!! I also got to visit with my friend Niqole, which was MUCH needed, and had lunch at non other than Skyline (YUM) with my sister. Then unfortunately, it was time to pack up and head back to LV. All in all we had a wonderful trip and I was really happy that we got to see as many people as we did. Hopefully one day we'll live a little closer to all of them so it's not so long in between visits. Then we made it back safely to Vegas and Richie and it was obvious that he had really missed us!!

Connor is growing so fast and I can't believe the new things that he is constantly learning!! He say "HI" now, and actually uses it it the right context, and waves when he does it!! He says lots of things too, but the ones that we can make out are, Mama, Dada, Bubba (lol), and his newest one "Doo" which I think means 'dog' because he only says it when he is looking at or playing with Thor =) He also started shaking his head "No" which makes me laugh, and my all time favorite, his dancing!! He is just too cute for words!!Oh and on a side note... he still doesn't like brocoli at all!!

And now we prepare for another move coming up... yippee (can you hear my excitement?) and what I'm sure will be a busy summer!! The end of next month being the biggie... CONNOR'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! I know he wont have a clue what is going on, but I want to make sure that it is special, I'll always remember it, and he'll see pictures!! ;)

Hope that everyones summer is starting off well.... I have a feeling it's going to go quick!!! <3

Pictures to shortly follow!!

Ooops... the time really is flying by!!

I have been a HUGE slacker!! It's been a little over 3 months since I've written.... I guess I really need to keep up better!! Obviously A LOT has happened in the last few months! I'm not even sure where to begin.....

The weather here in Vegas has really been getting nice! It's probably going to start getting a little too hot here soon, but that's what the pool is for!! =)

Connor is growing up nicely!! And he's growing up quick for sure!! Yesterday was his 9 month well baby check up! He is now 20 lbs 2 oz. and 27 1/2 inches long!! They say that he is in the 25%-50% for both height and weight, but his head is 46 cm which makes him in the 75th percentile!!! Bigger head for a bigger brain! Our little smarty pants! Lol.

He has officially been a crawler for a few months now and does a bit of walking with his walker. He started pulling himself up onto EVERYTHING not too long after the crawling! There are a few times now that he stands up on something and can let go for a few seconds by himself! It's so crazy how big he is getting!! I bet he'll be walking before his 1st birthday!! Although I'm not sure that Richie and I are quite ready for that yet. It amazes me more and more everyday how much more he interacts with us and is now learning all sorts of different sounds. His first was "ba ba" or "buh Buh", which makes us laugh since we always call him "Bubba". Next he started making the "ma ma" sound, which of course I instantly fell in love with!! He hasn;t associated the sound with me yet, but it'll be no time!! And now his newest one is "da da", which is super cute!! I can't wait until he starts saying "mama" and "dada" and starts recognizing which one is which!! Connor pretty much eats everything now... of course the typical cow's milk, peanut butter, nuts, citrus, honey, ect. are exceptions, but not too much longer! And all I can say is yay for when he's off of the formula! His favorites are pineapples, apples, pancakes, yogurt, spaghetti, and he loves his juice!! It's crazy how he eats the same things we do now, for the most part at least. Like I said, he's growing up so fast! Now that the weather is getting nicer, we're excited to be outside more! At least while it's not 115 degrees!! And the pool is warming up nicely so that our little man can start playing in it!

It has been a busy couple of months with all sorts of things going on... one of my favorites.. my birthday!! Lol. Rich and I took an "early birthday" trip to Huntington Beach with our friends Justin and Bethany for a long weekend... it was gorgeous!! I had never been and loved it! I had to face the fact that I in fact am getting old (HA!) at 28 and can't party like I used to!! But we had a great dinner at RA Sushi, great lunch at Fred's Mexican Cafe, and a wonderful day of sun bathing at the beach!! I wish we could do that every weekend!!

The following weekend I had to leave for a business trip to San Diego, believe me there are worse places for a business trip!! Haha! My Dad and I left on my birthday and I really wished my boys would have come with me. They were invited, but having Connor in a hotel room while I was at meetings all day didn't really sound appealing to anyone. Although when I got to the hotel, Sand Diego Hilton Resort and Spa and sent pics to Richie, I think he wished he would have gone too!! The hotel was right on Mission Bay and the room was incredible with a view of the bay and my own personal firepit on the patio! It was nice to get to spend some one-on-one time with my Dad though... and unfortunately, meetings and training were our main reasons for being there. Rich and I have already talked about going back everntually though!!

Well, the next few months are filled with plenty of fun too!! Our nephew Bryce's 1st birthday, then Connor and I are headed to Ohio for my little sis' HS graduation and Rich is going fishing and camping with his brother and some friends that weekend, so we will both be having some fun! Then soon enough our little man's FIRST BIRTHDAY!! Wow, I can't believe we're already talking about 1 whole year going by since our little miracle came into our life!!! I have a feeling it's just going to keep going faster and faster!!

Well, I'm sure I've written enough for awhile, but I'll try to keep up with this better so that I'm not trying to catch up every time! In the meantime, here are some pictures from the last fews months... catch you all soon! It's going to be a good summer!!! Love you all!! XOXO

New Year and New Fun with Our Big Boy!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Last year was an amazing year with us adding Connor to our family! I can't tell you enough how happy we are to be his parents! He is such an amazing little boy!! Everyday is something new that makes us smile or laugh! He is getting so big and so strong! I can't believe that he'll be 6 MONTHS OLD on the 30th!! Wow time sure is flying by!!

We had a wonderful Christmas at the beach in Florida with my family! Connor got to see the ocean for the first time and play in the sand! He also got to spend some good quality time with his Auntie Alex, Uncle Sam, and Grampy and Yma.... It was awesome to see all of them, but the thing I was most excited for was his first time meeting his Great Grandpa "Paw Paw". Connor is the first Great grand baby on my Mom's side of the family, so it was pretty special... and let me tell you, Connor LOVED Paw Paw! =) We played on the beach, swam in the pool (the ocean was VERY cold), ate lots of good food, and relaxed with the family. It was a perfect trip!! We even got to extend our trip a few days and enjoyed every moment of it! Connor once again was a prefect traveler and got many compliments on how good he was!!

We ended up not getting home until the 30th of December and with us having a NYE party at our house, we were busy that day getting ready!! We had about 25 people over, including 2 of Connor's little friends Meadow and Sterlyn! Although the babies were asleep most the night, they got to hang out for a little bit. Our party was a lot of fun, but I realize more and more that I'm getting too old to stay up so late!! Haha!

As we are approaching the end of January and Connor's "Half" Birthday, we are really beginning to see how fast he is growing and how much he learns everyday! He can completely roll over both sides now and uses that as his means of "transportation"!!! Lol. He has started to learn how to put his knees under his body when he's on his tummy, but isn't really sure what to do from there... wont be long before he's crawling around now!! He loves his feet, loves to eat EVERYTHING he can get his hands on, loves to laugh at the dog, and especially loves to bounce up and down in and out of his bouncer!! He loves being outside (we've had an extremely mild winter.. sorry to the friends and family in the midwest that haven't) and recently got to go on his first hike with me carrying him in the backpack carrier! He was such a good little hiker!! His eyes are becoming bluer everyday and his fuzzy little head is getting blonder and longer as the time passes by! His laugh and giggle are so contagious, it can bring a smile to anyones face!!! I've also noticed that our son is a big FLIRT!! =) He truly is an amazing little man!! <3

As some of you know, I have decided to home make Connor's baby food! I love doing it, and he seems to love eating it! Lol. We haven't found a food yet that he doesn't like!! We've made it through most of the veggies for his age including sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, and butternut squash.... next on the menu... FRUITS!! I have no doubt in my mind that he will love them! We have his 6 Month Well Baby Check Up on Feb. 2nd (Groundhog Day!) so I'll keep you posted on his stats!! I know he's filling out so I can't wait to see how big he's gotten since the last appointment!

We sure are looking forward to all the wonderful things that 2011 has in store for our family!! =) Happy 2011 Everyone!!