The Working Man, the Learning Family

My DH, Ian, started a new job back in April as an A/V Technician for the Marriott. He absolutely loves his job and I find solace knowing that this is what he enjoys doing for a living. We get medical, dental, and vision benefits along with other great perks. I am so happy he found something he actually loves to do. More so, I'm happy he's no longer working in that cancerous sunshine all day! It's nice for him to have an actual schedule too. My only complaint is that he works undesired hours (usually from 2-10:30pm) which force him to leave the house by 12:45 in the afternoon and if he gets off work on time he usually doesn't get home until 11:30pm. It's a long day but it's a steady income and we are lucky to have it. On the bright side, it's nice to have that much time to myself to get my job done as well. On top of laundry, dishes, pets, and cooking, two babies are a non stop wrecking site in the house. Another plus is Ian will be receiving two raises this year. The extra money will hopefully be put towards a second vehicle for us and possibly our looming tower of debt.

I will be returning to school next month and I am so excited! I only have the summer plus one semester until I earn my degree. It has taken me a long time but I surely believe the cliché, "Better late than never."

The kids are also expanding their minds. I read to them every day. I wish I had done it more when Aiden was younger but he was so active and had no interest in sitting still while I read to him. Now he loves pointing at the pictures as I read and Ambria is just thrilled to be in our company so she sits happily listening. I've been reading books in my spare time as well. I have enjoyed a good book every now and then for the past several years but lately I have been looking forward to it on a much regular basis. It is my own beautiful vacation in this vacation-less world of mine.

Oh, How they grow!

I am so proud to finally be putting an update on here today. Ambria has come such a long way. I will admit I was frustrated at first since she has reached her milestones at a later age than Aiden did but I realize all children grow, learn, and develop at different rates. Ambria is now 10 months old and so far she has 4 teeth, can cruise along furniture, she drinks from sippy cups (no more bottles!!), she can say mama, dada, and kaka (kitty, kitty), she waves hi and bye, claps her hands on command, crawls like a speeding bullet, plays very well with Aiden (despite his rough-housing) and as of today, feeds herself with a spoon!!! Sure it was messy, but she did it and I only had to show her how once. I am so proud of my beautiful girl and I don't care that she is taking her time with walking, she'll do it when she's ready.

Aiden on the other hand is so big I can hardly believe my eyes! He runs, jumps, talks very well for his age, and he's already learned some of his ABC's! He can correctly identify A, B, and C 100% of the time, D is still about 50% but we are working on it and he pronounces them crystal clear! He goes upstairs and puts himself to bed when he is told, however lately he has been asking me to read him books before he'll fall asleep. He soaps up and showers on his own, helps feed Ambria, tells me when he needs to be changed, brings me diapers for Ambria, throws things away for me, and vacuums! I am so proud of my big boy! He even plays catch (althouh he's better at the throwing part). He rode a horse at his Gma's house, and he even drinks very well from a big boy cup (not the sippy) I am so blessed to have such wonderful children and I just know number three will be a blessing as well.

On the topic of growing, our dreams of a beautiful yard are coming to fruition. Our grass is slowly but surely coming in thick and green, the dog run is staying maintained, and the tree we planted is growing steadily. We decided against planting an Aprium tree because of water consumption. We instead planted an Indian Laurel since they are great for shade, fast growing, and low water needing trees. We planted it in reach of the sprinklers so it wouldn't need to be watered separate and only run the sprinklers for 1 mintue, twice a day. The grass is bermuda grass so it is also a low water consumption greenery for our yard. By this time next month the lawn should be full and green and Aiden and Ambria will be able to play for hours in the grass while I read on the patio. They love being outside.

My cookbook is also coming along nicely, I've got nearly 70 of my very own recipes in it and I'm nearly done with the designs. Publishing it will be easy since I am not looking to sell and make a profit. I am hoping to pass it out to family and friends. We'll see how it goes!

Happy 2010 Earth Day!

I'm going to further my efforts to reduce spending in our house since keeping costs down keeps bank accounts up! As a side effect, we will also be living a little greener because of it!

This weekend we are completely revamping our backyard. We will be moving the gravel to the back of the yard and creating a wonderful landscape that will give our children somewhere safe to play. We will be laying sprinklers and drippers, planting grass, a blue and a yellow hibiscus and an Aprium tree. We plan on harvesting the Apriums for fruit, juice, jams, and sauces. In addition the tree will be a wonderful source of shade for the yard. Also, I am planting a vegetable garden with bell peppers, tomatoes, peas, and carrots. How do we plan on keeping our yard beautiful with our three monster dogs? A large dog run on the west side of our yard! It will be perfect.

After our yard project, I will be making homemade dishwasher detergent since I go through so many loads of dishes during the week!

After Easter Clean-up

Easter 2010 is the first holiday get together I have ever hosted in my own home. It went so well I am considering which holiday I'd like to host next! The house was clean and sparkling, the food was top notch! I made from scratch 13 dishes and my brother brought a side of spicy bbq beans (he insisted) and everyone ate their fill. We had a wonderful BBQ pork roast which cooked for 8 hours, garlic mashed potatoes, bacon cheese tarts, baked mozzarella balls, shrimp, pudding pie, lemon and raspberry jello squars, lemon glazed pound cake, vanilla braid bread, and so much more. My 18 month old son got to hunt for Easter eggs (which he thoroughly enjoyed) and I got to be in great company.

Ever since my husband and I first got together we ate our meals in front of the television while watching our favorite shows. Last night I did some minor reorganizing and after the kids were asleep my husband and I ate dinner at our dining room table for the first time ever. It was quiet and awkward, but nice. This morning all four of us ate breakfast as a family at the kitchen table. It was so wonderful! I felt like I was in a dream or a family from television. I cooked up french toast and hamsteaks for myself, my husband and my son, my daughter got cheerios and a bottle of milk. This is the start of something I truly love. I am so glad our family made this change.

For the rest of the day I have household recovery scheduled. This basically means my house needs to recover from my Easter party. I will be some much needed scrubbing and cleaning since there were several spills.

Hello 2010!

Yes, I do realize it's the end of March. I also realize I haven't updated my blog in several months. I only have family hardships and myself to blame. I have a whole new gameplan for 2010 though. Firstly, I am going back to school - full time. My intentions are to finish my degree so I can be a little more valuable to society. I have also started work on a book which may or may not be published in the future, depending on it's outcome and quality.

My life is still hectic. Two kids keeps me quite busy and now, with a third on the way, on top of being busy I'm exhausted as well. I have many things I wish I could talk about and vent about on this blog however I have decided it is my duty as a wife to keep it to myself and hope Ian and I can find some common ground. Other than a few minor hiccups along the way, our family is still the same. Aiden is a loving, thoughtful, energetic demolition site on two legs. He's communicating well and is still way taller than all the kids his age. He's a great eater though. As long as he's hungry and it's edible - he will consume it. Ambria is advancing too. She can cruise along furniture, says mama and dada, is feeding herself cheerios and as of 7 months FINALLY sleeps through the night. (I thought this would never come) We are transitioning her off of bottles and onto sippy cups. And thankfully both of our kids weaned themselves off of pacifiers early on. Ambria still gets one for naps and sleep but other than that, doesn't need one.

Today I am going to sit down and write out a 6 month plan for myself and my family and do my best to follow it. It always helps keep the sanity level when there is some order and organization in life.