All you need is love...

(card from my mom, Shannon)

...and a good anniversary gift!

Bryan already gave me what I am told is part of my anniversary gift. He took the tiffany setting from the ring he proposed with and put a beautiful pearl in it - how sweet!

Of course, I still have the original diamond, it is just now happily in this more antique looking setting that I love!

Morning Snuggles

We had the best start to the day today. The boys both woke up right on time in very good moods and dressed themselves and then played nicely while I got ready. It makes such a difference in the whole tone of the day when things are nice and pleasant in the morning!

So, here we are all ready to tackle the day ahead:



(Thanks, Daddy, for taking these pictures!)

Not Earth-shattering...

...but still big news for me. Anyone that knows me personally knows that I have been struggling with my career path. I went to college for 6 straight years and came away with two degrees in Chemical Engineering. Great! I am all set to be an Engineer! Working on exciting collaborative projects in cutting edge technology, making a real difference at my dream company and in the world for that matter.

Screeeeeech! That was the sound of the brakes of reality that ensued after actually starting to work as an Engineer over five years ago.

Enter a little place called reality, wherein I am sitting at a computer, pounding out Excel spreadsheets and barely interacting with another living soul the majority of the day. Not quite what I had in mind, BUT I can't just throw away my education background and *gasp* change careers...can I?

Oh yes, I sure can! In what might be the boldest move of my adult life thus far I have changed career paths and am now a part of The Dark Side. Not in the Star Wars sense though (sorry Warren)...I am now officially part of the sales team at a very cool company downtown.

AND I have also taken up a part time job to try my hand at something completely different just to see. Because, believe me, I am NOT claiming to have it all figured out. But I AM brave enough to try something new and see where my talents and strengths and interests truly are!

The new jobs start in a couple weeks and I will update as the journey unfolds.

OH!! And did I mention that I get valet parking!!

Lazy Sunday

Reagan sure has the doggy life!

The boys are both napping too...and what am I doing -- cleaning the floors of course :)

Chugga, Chugga

Look at my little Engineers this morning:




And, no, I haven't forgot about my big news...still working out some details and such. Hopefully Monday I can share!

more Cheesey Smiles!

Why on Earth am I so happy?! More to come very soon...

I just can't stop smiling!

this Working Mom

...is glad it's Friday!!

Vintage Posts -- Installment #3

**Warning** This post contains brief, watered down versions of the boys' "birth stories." I want to capture these events in words for them to read years (many, many years) from now when they are mature men and aren't grossed out by these kinds of reproductive things before I forget some of the details.

Warren's arrival:
On June 1st, 2004 my first baby came into the world - three weeks early! His original due date was June 21st and I had gone to the doctor that morning for a regular weekly checkup only to be told quite casually that I was in labor! Really! I was in labor! I thought I would know when I was in labor, like it would be totally obvious and...messy or something. I have a very high pain/discomfort threshold so those little annoying cramps I had been having were actually contractions and they were getting closer. I called Bryan on his cell to tell him that this was the day. He was in disbelief and kept asking if I was joking.

We got admitted to the hospital at about noon and Warren was born not quite five hours later! I did end up getting an epidural, but not until 4pm. Had I known it was only another hour I would have just held off. Because it really didn't even do anything especially during the actual delivery. I don't think anything can help with that!

He was 21'' long and weighed 7lb, 7oz. I was 24 years old when he was born and Bryan and I had been married for a whole 9.5 months!


Warren newborn


Warren 1 mo in the papasan chair

Jack's arrival:
On December 30th, 2005 my second baby boy came crashing into the world as a true indication of his very outgoing and impatient personality. I woke up at around midnight to use the restroom and them went back to bed...without any indication of what was about to happen in 45 short minutes. As soon as I started to drift back to sleep I was slammed with a major contraction. And before I could catch my breath -- yup, another one hit HARD. I woke Bryan up and told him to get Warren up and wrapped up and in the car, because this was serious. Like, I may not make it to the hospital serious. The next thing I did defies all logic and I still have absolutely no explanation that makes any sense to this day...I got in the shower. Yes, that's right. I took a shower. I think that I just wanted to get cleaned up before going to the hospital and meeting Jack...Anyhow, during the probably 5 minutes I was in the shower while Bryan was getting Warren into the car I must have had at least three contractions and I was hunched over washing my hair and such.

I managed to get into the car and we drove the 2 miles from our house at the time to the hospital. My water broke before we got to the hospital and dare I say that his head was all but completely out when we pulled up to the ER. I really don't remember much about how I got from the car to the delivery room - other than verbally abusing the poor young lady that wheeled me up to the room. Literally, as soon as they laid me on the bed, he was completely out.

The funny part is that Bryan and Warren were still parking the car and walking up to the room. Bryan was so confused when he heard the newborn cries coming from the room they told him was mine. It took a while for him to digest that Jack was already born. We quickly called his parent to tell them not to rush getting there to watch Warren since there was no need for that any longer.

He was 20.5'' and weighed 6lb, 15oz. I was 26 when he was born.


Jack newborn


Jack 1 mo in the papasan chair

My doctor teases me that I will have to get an apartment across the street from the hospital if we ever have a third since I have such short labors!

the Plan

So, here's the Plan -- for the blog that is. The reason I am doing this - well there are a few reasons actually...one of them being just to easily share daily anecdotes and such with family and friends far away.

The second is to make yearly memory books from the blog for the boys to have as keepsakes from their childhood. I want them to be able to look back at these books and get a real feel for what it was like on a day to day basis at our house. And if they come away thinking "hey, my mom way a cool, hip, and funny lady" then I have to admit that won't hurt my feelings! The idea is for them to be able to see the kind of people and parents that Bryan and I are as the events of life unfold.

This is the website that makes blog books:

Your blog. Automatically slurped into a real book.

I have tried the scrapbooking thing and find it cumbersome and very expensive.

And who knows, these might actually make good gifts for grandparents too!

Thirdly, this gives me the chance to be a part of the blogging community. Yes, there most certainly is such a thing! It has become a little hobby of mine to check in with some favorite blogging moms I have come across and see how they "do it" and get ideas and knowledge and entertainment from their sites.

So there you have it...the Plan.

Relaxing on the lawn

"Every blade of grass is a study, and to produce two where there was but one is both a profit and a pleasure" -- Abraham Lincoln

cube farm, with a view

Not that this is by any means exciting or interesting, but it is a part of me since this is where I spend 8+ hours every week day. I am in a majorly male dominated industry and there are two rare females in offices right next to each other (me being of the them)...our counterparts have termed us the "roses between the thorns." Hmmm, they are going to be disappointed when I don't live up to my rose status ;)


Anyhow, I do have a pretty great view from the window in my office so I can't complain too much.

out with a BANG

A chocolate bang that is. I took the boys for another wagon ride around the neighborhood so they could enjoy the cool evening air and pleasantly wave to the neighbors -- okay, OKAY it was actually so that I could maybe burn off half of the calories from the fudge-pop that I ate prior to the walk -- anyhow, when we got back to our house this was what I got to contend with:



yeah, I know...no wonder everyone we passed had such big smiles for me. Warren had already finished his before we left but clearly Jack hadn't :) I was too busy trying to keep my balance between pulling the wagon and being pulled by the dog!

And with that our weekend has come to an end!

not just surviving...

...but thriving too! It has just been me and the boys this weekend, as Bryan is away for work. I usually dread when he is gone over a weekend but this time I decided to change my attitude and make the most of this time.

We have barely left the confines of my bedroom, only sneaking out to take a walk outside and one trip to the grocery store. Here are a few highlights:

Warren lost his sucker in the huge tent we made in my bedroom:


We played "tow trucks" for hours:


And at the end of the day, the boys took a bath in the spa tub with some serious bubbles:

Vintage Posts -- Installment #2

Look! Mommy and Daddy used to do cool things when we were dating like hiking in the Fiery Furnace in Moab, UT! We still got it in us...just these pesky things like jobs and responsibilities keep getting in the way. Hmmm...I think we are overdue for another Moab trip, and I'm sure the boys will love it just like we do.



October, 2002 -- Moab, Utah

what a doll

I have been frequenting a local thrift store, picking up odds and ends - including this great head board for the guest bedroom (14 bucks!!):


Recently, Jack went with me and insisted on getting this rediculous little scooter (by insisted I mean when I picked him up to take him off the scooter, the scooter came up with him as if he were attached to it).

It is meant for a doll to sit on and be pushed around -- but instead there is a brute of a two year old motoring around on his "motorcycle" in my living room:


And the best part, it was only 95 cents!