My birthday

As many of you may know, my birthday is on Christmas. I turned 23 this year...again ;). We usually do Christmas in the morning then celebrate my birthday in the evening to try and keep the two separated. So, in the afternoon we went to see the new Chipmunks movie (after stuffing ourselves with a yummy ham dinner) then came home for cake and birthday presents. I think the funniest part of the movie was watching Landen try to make friends with the people in front of us, especially a girl about 6 years his senior...he's such a flirt! That movie is so cute by the way. Anyway, here's a few pictures from the birthday celebration.

This one cracks me up cause I'm obviously getting ready to blow out the candles

Landen gets some too!

p.s. I'm really 29 and trying to come up with a list of things to do before I turn 30. Suggestions?

Santa Came to town!

My parents and sister came up to our house for Christmas and boy did they spoil us rotten (see photo below). It was so great having them up here! It definitely makes the holidays better when you can share them with family.

The ridiculous amount of loot!
Mom and Kate on Christmas morning

Landen playing with his new toys, he loves the ball set Aunt Katie gave him.

Landen wondering what mom's doing sitting in all the garbage

A quick kiss

Hope everyone has a happy Holiday!

Landen's sad stats

My poor small child had his 15 month well baby check-up today and is still just a little squirt! He only weighs 17.1 pounds (0 percentile), and is 29.5 inches tall (9 percentile), but his head is in the 13th percentile...wahoo! He's apparently "proportioned" for his height and weight...whatever! It's so frustrating! We had him up past 19 pounds, then he gets a runny nose and a cough and he loses his appetite and loses weight! He's constantly sick! He'll be fine for about 2-3 weeks, then his sniffles come back. On top of having baby asthma, I think he has allergies! The doctor has me trying him on Benedryl twice a day now to see if it helps...this poor kid! But, as usual, he takes it like a champ! He never acts like he's sick and still is into everything like a maniac. Believe me, I'm counting down the days to nursery. I sure love this kid though! He's definitely become a "mamma's boy" lately and even threw a tantrum the other day when I handed him to Brian...just sad! I mean it's great and all being the favorite parent ;), but seriously, I'd like to be able to go to the bathroom without my shadow following me around, and of course where he goes, so does BJ, so I'm never alone. He is really good at playing alone and will actually do so for quite awhile as long as he can find something mischievous to get into ;). Anyway, there's an update on my little man. He's so fun!

Venting

So as my time is quickly approaching to become a stay at home mom, I've been really thinking how HARD this is going to be for me!!! Being a mom is such a selfless responsibility, which I've never complained about, because I truly enjoy my time spent with my little man, but going to work has always been a nice and even much needed "break" from being "mommy" so that I can feel like "me" again. Does that even make sense? I love the socializing that I get at work, and to think about more complicated things that are going on with my patients, and not just when was the last time you ate and it's time to take a nap. I guess I'm going to have to start getting more creative with Landen to help me stay sane also! I'm excited about having more time to exercise and get in better shape, but other than that...not quite sure! So, if any of you have any suggestions for me, I'd really appreciate all the advice/ideas I can get. I really have a greater respect for stay at home moms!

The news

So, now that I've officially talked to my boss about it, I can share with everyone else! We've been extremely blessed because Brian has finally been able to find a job. It's a full time job at Idaho Falls Health and Rehab. He will be working at nights so he can go to school during the day. Because of this wonderful blessing, starting in January I can start working PRN, which means I'll only be working 2 days A MONTH!!!! As exciting as that is, and how much I'll enjoy being at home with Landen, I love my job and I love the people I work with! Work is kinda my break from being "mommy", and I get to have more socializing and feel like a productive WOMAN again, and not just a worn out mommy. I love spending time with Landen, but I'm really going to miss spending time with my buddies at work...not that I'm never going to see them again, just not as often! This is such a wonderful blessing though, and we're so lucky to be able to do this at this time. Brian's going to be working his buns off, but I'm so proud of him! He feels like he's finally able to do his "job" and provide for his family. So, my days of being a sugar mamma are officially over...not too sad about it, cause now I've got a sugar daddy ;)

5 years ago today...

We look like such babies!!!! I love this man, we've been through so much together and although some days the only thing we can agree on is Landen, there's no one I would rather fight with more than my "Bri-Bri". He's such a kind and loving man, you'd think twice about him being a rough tough military man...oops let the cat out of the bag. There's definitely no one better for me. Love you sweetheart and cheers to an eternity!

OH, AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Dog boy

So I'm convinced that my dog has more influence on Landen than I do. You will frequently find him trying to eat the dog's food if we leave it unattended, he loves playing with BJ's toys and will even try to imitate how BJ eats his food if a plate or bowl is left on the ground. His most recent fascination is the dog door and I finally caught him in the act with the camera...I really hope he doesn't continue this once the snow really starts piling up.

Oops, mom caught me!
Oh well, I'm going out anyway!

Found

Finally, here are some pictures from Halloween week. In case you were wondering I found the camera cord under a pile of newspapers on the desk...time to go to the recycling bin!!!

BJ joining the pumpkin carving fun
Landen's favorite and least favorite part was the "guts" of the pumpkin. He kept putting his hand in then pulling it back out as quickly as possible. Cracked me up!

Let's put the scooper in there!

Brian and I went to an adult Halloween on the 30th. It was so fun to spend time with a bunch of adults and not have to worry about chasing a kid around the whole time. Brian found a wrestling buddy while we were there.

Precious

I'm supposed to be a Vampiress, in case you were wondering

Putting Landen's shoes on to go to "Boo at the Zoo"

You can't really see it, but a monkey is right up against the glass staring at Landen. Landen loved it!

He loved all the lights and music.

Ahh, cute family!

Lost!!!!!

So, I've lost my camera cord, so it could be awhile before I can update about Halloween week, and believe me there's some cute pictures on there! Here's a clue: elephant....

Pumpkin Patch

Just before a sneeze
I'm cool

Vroom Vroom

Look at all these pumpkins!

I like the little ones!

Wahoo!!!

Brian just found out this morning that he passed his nursing boards....HUGE accomplishment! I'm so proud of him, he's been working so hard and studying more than I ever did. He's going to be and IS and awesome nurse! Next step...find a job! Wahoo?!

Landen's surgery

So Landen had surgery on Friday to basically redo his circumcision (it didn't heal correctly, or they did it wrong...can't decide which). I must admit I was a bit nervous, but it helped that he had it done where I work, so I knew everyone taking care of him and that he was in good hands. It actually took more time for them to put him asleep, put in an IV and put his spinal block in than it did for the doctor to actually complete the procedure! He now has 2 stitches that will dissolve and that's about it. He handled it like a champ! Even waking up from anesthesia, he was just a little whiny, but not throwing a tantrum like I've seen many babies, kids and adolescents do. He's such a stud!

A few hours after surgery, you'd never know he'd had it!
Finally food!!! I'm starving!

Playing with a monitor...so boring being stuck in 1 place, but he still couldn't move his legs completely yet.

Still drunk from anesthesia

Poor boy!

Before surgery with dad...so cute in his gown!

Family photo shoot

We had some family pictures taken yesterday, and these are some of our favorites! The only ones we didn't really like are the ones of just Brian and I (our child is amazingly photogenic no matter what face he's pulling!), so we're hoping to get some of those retaken! Let me know what your favorites are...gotta start designing those Christmas cards ;).