Addison's 1st Easter

We had to wake up Addison and Alivia this morning to get ready for 9 AM Easter Mass. Alivia told me she was still tired and did not seem to care to see a basket with candy. She was quite excited when she did see it though. She got a Barbie with some new clothes, Happy Feet, Bible ABC cards, a coloring book and of course, candy. Addison got a 3 books and a little lamb that baa'd. After Mass, we went and picked up Aunt Nikki and drove to my parents in Iowa for the day. After a fun filled weekend, we were exhausted (Yesterday we went to Great Grandma & Grandpa Austins in the morning and Nikki and I went to visit Grandpa George in the afternoon, Chris and I also have stayed up until midnight or later the last 3 nights watching movies on Thursday, talking with Dave on Friday night and again watching movies last night. Go and rent The Pursuit of Happyness...a good movie!).

Alivia really got into Easter this year, which was so touching for us. I asked her at dinner today what Easter meant. I thought she would say eggs and candy. But, she first said...going to church, and then I asked her about the cross and she responsed "Jesus!". I guess whatever we are saying is sinking in. Both Alivia and Addison had fun on their indoor Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Alivia ran excitedly picking up her eggs. It was so cute. Addison even picked up a couple of eggs, and she liked to hear the noise of the candy when she shook the egg.

Everyone slept on the way home, except Nikki and I. Tomorrow is back to reality. But, it was sure nice to spend extra family time together over the weekend.

Happy Easter! 

(Stay tuned...Chris may have a big announcement to make this week!)

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Happy Birthday to Topher!

Today Chris turned 35! We were both luckily able to take the day off work. We went bowling with Aunt KK in the morning. This was Alivia's first time bowling and she really liked it. Chris spent a lot of the day pondering an important decision (which I will later post if and when the decision is made). We also dyed a few eggs for Easter. Alivia had fun with that. We then had a few guests for dinner and cake (a non party party since I decided to no longer have a party :) ), including my cousin Dave from Chicago. We laughed so hard our faces hurt. I think Chris had a good birthday.

 

Happy 35th Birthday, Chris...and many more!

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Little bump

Addison's little bump on her head turned out to be nothing major, thank-goodness. She must have bumped her head and formed a small calcification (dried blood) under the surface. The Dr said it should go away with time.

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April Fools!

So did anyone get fooled?

I got Chris this year...good. I took a late night trip to the store last night and he was downstairs when I returned home. He had no idea what I purchased. So, this morning after church, I reminded him of my trip and told him that I picked "something" up and um, he was going to be a daddy again. Let's just say, I thought Topher was going to  BLANK his pants. Needless to say, I told him right away, "APRIL FOOLS."

Okay, that was funny. Now, I just hope God saw Chris' reaction since He is in charge of our family planning. :)

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The art of spring cleaning

Alivia at work.

I am the last person to talk about art, or cleaning for that matter. But, that summarized our weekend. After a very long and difficult week, I was just happy to get through it in a few pieces. So, I was content cleaning. We started our weekend by trying a new (but very old) pizza place in Millard...Bernie's Pizza. We would give it an 8 out of 10. The pizza was great, made by Bernie himself. It was a small Mom and Pop shop. We ate out, (which is quite rare for us) and the food was good. Afterwards, we went to a park nearby and Alivia had a blast.

As far as the weekend went, I cleaned and did laundry while Chris started the season of yard work. The yard is already looking green and our home is beginning to smell of cleaning solutions. I'm just getting started, though...I have a lot more to do.

Addison started saying "Mama" last week and continued talking throught the weekend. She is becoming more vocal and loud now! She is also our little George, Curious George that is. She crawls to whatever is dangerous to check it out. For example, I put her down in the basement to crawl surrounded by toys. She crawled right over the toys and went straight for the heater. This did not surprise me at all. She also is pulling to a stand quite well and then letting go of 1 hand but not both hands yet. She is getting really good at picking up her finger foods and loves crackers! Addison does have a little bump on her head that is not from a fall that seems to be getting bigger. I hope to take her to her Dr this week to check it out.

Alivia came down with a cold today and told us 100 times or more, "My nose is running." Now, we just need to teach her to go and get a tissue by herself. She used to do this by herself but now likes us to do this special treat for her. Last week was her first week of doing 50% of her gymnastics class alone! I watched from outside of the room. What a girl! She also went down the tunnel slide, "By myself" as she says. She is a big girl! Now, if we can just get her out of her pull-up at night...

I am going to Denver for a day this week, so I will check out the mountains for everyone - briefly - and then fly back. But, if all goes well, the trip will give me a raise. At least that is the goal. On Friday, Chris will turn 35! So, Happy b-day big cat daddy!

Here is to hoping for a MUCH better week this week!

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Happy Spring!

I love this time of year...perfect weather, birds chirping, green grass. What is there not to like? We spent the last week outside, weather permitting. Alivia could live outside if we would let her. She plays on her playset, bikes and spends hours at the neighborhood park when the weather is nice. Chris finally completed the garage organization. Looks wonderful! I need to take of picture of his masterpiece. It is SOOOO much better.

Spring also brings spring cleaning. I watched as our neighbor MAN of the house washed his windows and wondered if my Dad had ever done that job. I actually look forward to the day I have a few moments to get a few of our windows clean. Chris and I continue to do our financial cleaning, so to speak, too, & are excited by our progress! My new favorite magazine is MONEY. They have great advice in there for self professed penny pinchers like myself.

This coming week looks to be a busy one. My boss will be here for a couple days keeping me company. I hope to start our spring cleaning at night so we can start wearing weather appropriate clothes. Until next week...

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Quiet time?

My good friend, Heidi, sent me an email on Friday telling how important "quiet time" is and suggested I try it with Alivia who gave up her nap a few months ago. So, I tried it on Saturday and today. Worked like a charm! I told her she could read books or play with her babies as long as she was quiet in her room unless she had to go potty. Both days she ended up asleep. I got so much done during this time and felt energized for the rest of the afternoon into evening to play. However, she is having a more difficult time going to sleep now. It is 9PM now and she is still in her room talking. The same thing happened last night. I will probably continue with the quiet time next weekend and see how it goes.

The good news is that Alivia has been dry all night for 2 nights now! Knock on wood, though. I hope this is a continuing pattern because I am about to wear out our wash machine.

Chris spent the ENTIRE weekend in the garage! He put up the shelving system all the way around the garage - including above the garage door. Today he painted the walls white. He just has to place all the stuff on the shelves. I will post an after picture, but I wish I would have taken a before picture! I can hardly wait to park my car inside again. Chris wants to just sit a while and let the bruises on the backs of his legs heal (from leaning against the ladder as he installed the shelves!).

Have a good week!

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Easter Pics

 

 

Easter Pics

Well, after having Addison sick this week, we finally got into get the Easter pictures taken yesterday. To view, go to:

http://www.capturetoday.photosite.com/Album86/

Alivia and Addison both really liked the bunny. Chris and I learned why it is important to keep a male and female bunny apart. :) We did not know we were going to see THAT at the photographers!

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Addison turns 8 months

 

Addison 8 months old!

Addison is now 8 months old. We can hardly believe that much time has passed already (do I say that every month?). She was sick tonight - so I did not even get a picture! She gets her pictures taken tomorrow with Alivia for Easter if she feels better. I will post the proofs when they are ready.

Addison is crawling really well now. She is talking some, "Dada" mostly. Addison is now pulling to a stand while holding onto something and does cruise some along the sofa. I have tried having her stand alone in the middle of the room, but she just falls into me and then laughs and laughs. She thinks I am playing a game. She gave up the bottle pretty much on her own and has finally mastered the sippy cup (Although she will only drink water and juice in it). Addison's favorite game is peek-a-boo right now. You will never believe this...Addison's favorite toy...anything with a tag! She will crawl acrossed the room if she sees a tag hanging off of a blanket, stuffed toy, UNDER the couch! Anything that has washing instructions or something. So, how does she put herself to sleep at night or at naptime? She crawls to her bumper pad, finds the tag, and with her tag in one hand and her thumb in her mouth she falls fast asleep. Ahhh...  

Hopefully she is feeling better in the morning. Tonight she fell asleep on me right after I took her out of her highchair after dinner. This is highly unusual. She napped through the evening while I held her outside, too. Hopefully she is able to sleep all night.

Happy 8th month Addison!

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Zoo of a week...

Penquins!

The girls at the zoo

Great Grandma & Addison

What a crazy week and into the weekend. Alivia started her new gymnastics class last Monday. It is her first class without Mommy and Daddy. Uh, that did not go over well. She is very timid and does not like to go it alone quite yet.

On Friday, Chris went with his brother to see the movie 300 (I think that is what it was called) so I had a party of my own. Just kidding. My parents and my sister decided to drop by and bring pizza. That was a nice surprise. On Saturday, we woke to a beautiful day. So, we decided to go and see how the new zoo pass worked. Alivia loved the penquins and Addison liked the aquarium. A lot of the animals were still inside for the winter. We spent the rest of the afternon outside. Addison loves the swingset. I am telling you...that was a pretty good investment. I may not recommend the rainbow brand itself, but having a backyard playset is great.

After Mass on Sunday (which arrived much too early for us), the girls and I went to visit Great Grandma Marci. She was happy to see us. We spent the rest of the day playing outside while Topher cleaned and started to reorganize our garage. Seriously, if we ever move, that would be why. How many big wheels, trikes, cars, motorcylces, lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc, can fit into a 2 car garage. You just have to see ours. You would be amazed! We are parking in the driveway for the moment. But, when he is done, it will be so worth it. I look forward to getting into and out of my car without the risk of a rake or a hoe (or a bigwheel for that matter) falling on my head. 

Well, this week will be another crazy one...but we will have fun along the way.

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Getting old?

Mommy's birthday

My birthday usually comes and goes and I never feel older. Maybe it is because Chris is older than me that he makes me feel young by default. This year was and is different though. It was the first year people said I was getting old or "Wow, I did not realize you were THAT old." Now, what does that mean? It is all just a number and I really should not care. It makes me stop and think about all those grey hairs I am getting, though. Chris got me a cake, and he and Alivia tried to sing to me, which was sweet. I got my long awaited zoo pass so we can go any time for just a while or a long while. I can hardly wait to start going! Now I just hope "THAT old" body can walk through the zoo! :)

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Running in place

I have a close friend, who shall go nameless for this blog :), who is single without kids. She asked me tonight if I planned on running the 1/2 marathon this May in Lincoln. That was a goal for this year to do, you know. It is so funny that she brought that up considering I can not recall the last time I ran. Running used to be a hobby, a passion almost, of mine. But now, all I can do is run in place. Chris always wants to do stuff and go places on weekends. Today was exhausting for me just to go to 9am Mass and a baby shower. Especially knowing how much work I had to do at home. So, do I run? Not unless you count running in place. :)

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Addison speaks...

...and says, "Dada, dada, dada, dada." I am going to see if Chris can load the video.

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We are on my space!

http://www.myspace.com/ckaustin

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Fun in the snow..

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There's no place like home

Oh, what a week! I missed being home so much! I left on Sunday morning to Tuscon, Arizona making my way through horrible street conditions and sick conditions. I made it to the resort and got my own room since I was sick. Then, Monday I had off since I was sick. I stayed in the room and ordered fruit smoothies. I sat on my patio in the afternoon sun and read magazines. It was not that bad.

Grandma Kathy came on Sunday night after Chris put the girls to bed. She stayed through Tuesday afternoon. Alivia was able to handle me being gone better because of the Grandmas. Grandma Bet came on Tuesday and stayed through TODAY! She was stuck here with the interstate being closed. My Dad took back roads to get to here today since I-80 remains closed. Crazy.

Let's see what I learned this week:

1. There is no place like home

2. The bathroom at the airport is not a fun place to use a breastpump (I pumped more than 7 1/2 hours while I was gone! Now that is dedication!).

3. Never leave a breastfed baby at home who is weaned from the bottle and does not like the sippy cup. (Addison drank very little milk while I was gone opting for juice finally! I don't know how she is content at daycare everyday!)

4. Grandmas are lifesavers

5. Moms should not have to leave their children

6. Find a family friendly job (one who understands that 4 pm conference calls on Fridays may not be the best time when you have kids in daycare you have to pick up by 5 pm!)

7. The airport may be open, but if the streets are closed everywhere...stay in Arizona where it is warm and dry!

8. Being stuck in an airplane buckled in for 2 hrs and 15 minutes on the ground is never fun (I can see why people are sueing for being stuck for 11 hours on the ground. I was about to lose it in 2 hrs!)

9. If the pilot says we will depart in 15 minutes...he is lying.

10. Never drive on I-680 at midnight if there was a blizzard, the streetlights are off, no cars are in sight and a snowplow has not cleared the road! It makes for a VERY long and scary drive home in the middle of the night without 4 wheel drive (oh, didn't you know...I do not live in the snowbelt! Could have fooled me!). I-680 was closed.

11. Co-workers are just that...Co-workers.

12. There is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

I missed the girls and Chris so much this week. Addison was so excited to see me, too! Alivia acted like I had never left. I will enjoy the next couple days more than ever...and who cares about the 15+ inches of snow. I am AT HOME!

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Congratulations, Nikki!

We want to congratulate Nikki on getting a new & really good job as a dispatcher at Union Pacific in Omaha. Here's to a new career with Choo Choos & to a big fat wallet!

 

Congratulations!

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The working mom...

Well, I am preparing to leave for Arizona tomorrow. I am all sad today because I do not want to leave the girls (and Topher, too). Preparing Addison is just exhausting since she is still nursing. Chris is having the Grandmas come and help throughout the week so the girls do not have to go to daycare. Today I will spend the day cleaning, packing, preparing meals, etc. I would rather just cuddle with the girls all day (if I could only get Alivia to sit still to cuddle), but gotta do what you gotta do when you are a working mom, right.

Still waiting for the invention of the red mommy cape (for super mom).

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Babies Cry

I thought it was common knowledge that babies cry. That is just part of being a baby, right? Perhaps I am totally wrong here, but I do not think so. Last night we went to Ash Wednesday service. Because of the time of the Mass, Alivia and Addison were not in the best of moods. Addison cried out loud maybe 4-5 times during the Mass (which is a lot for her actually). Her cries were brief, though. I would stand up and walk to the back of the Church and she would stop. That should be the end of my story, right. Oh, no. You should have seen all of the stares I got! The last time I walked to the back (which was 10 steps from where we were seated), I said aloud quietly to Addison, "It is like people have never seen a baby before, Addison," as the woman next to me moved over like I was diseased (it was standing room only so there were a few people standing in the back without seats). These people are supposed to be good, church going people I thought. There is not a cry room at our church. I have been in churches that have cry rooms and they are a joke. The parents just let their unbehaved children run wild. Okay, why bother going to church if you can not even hear  anything? At our church, we can go into the entryway of sorts where you can still hear the service. There are maybe 4 chairs scattered about and usually 10 or more parents with crying or wild children. I did go out there briefly last night, but the parents act like it is social hour. So I was missing the service which was the reason we were there.

So, thought I would just post a reminder that babies cry, just incase some have forgotten. Happy Lenten Season!

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Happy President's Day!

Why can't every day be President's Day...a day without commerical work (housework alone I can do) and filled with the laughter of my kids, that is.

After the weekend, it was nice to have an additional day off. On Saturday night we went to Aunt Pat's for Grandma Austin's 80th birthday party. It was nice to see everyone. Sunday the temperature finally came around, so I took the girls outside to play for a while. Alivia misses being outside so much. Unfortunately, both Alivia and Addison have come down with bad colds this weekend. Alivia got hers on Friday night and Addison got hers on Saturday night.

Addison is working on her crawling and has started to stand alone. She wants to cruise along the furniture, but I am not ready to let go of her yet. I just don't want her to take any first steps while I am away. I missed Alivia's first steps...I do not want to miss Addison's! Addison is now completely off of the bottle and taking the sippy cup with Bmilk in it. We are still waiting to hear her first words and see those first baby signs.

Yes, that is right. Sunday is when I leave for Tucson. I am not looking forward to it. I am having to gather milk for Addison - so that is a lot of work. I think I have more than enough in the freezer now that I could sell it on EBAY (No, I would never do that!). I think working, not sleeping, and getting the extra milk for this trip is why my skin is so bad and my hair is fallng out. I look like I am 80. Nice. I worry about Addison because she will probably need the bottle before going to bed at night. We have the Grandparents coming to help Chris since daycare is not opened when he leaves for work. I am sure they will do fine without me.

Well, I better get ready for gymnastics. Have a good week all... 

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Move to our neighborhood...

Just FYI: Some of our pictures & posts are private to our neighborhood only...so please sign up and make the move to our neighborhood, so to speak.

 

 

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The Austin Family Album

I have been working on this project for a couple of months. I finally have it completed and ordered. I highly recommend doing an online scrapbook! Enjoy!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/project/8EbNmblo3bsZ0/landing

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Bye Bye Naptime?

Whatever happened to naptime? When are kids supposed to outgrow naps? At 2, I would think it would be too soon, but perhaps I am wrong. Alivia took a nap everyday until Addison was born. Then, she decided she would miss something by taking a nap and started fighting us. She naps everyday at daycare, so I selected AM preschool in the fall even though the afternoon session would be much easier on my schedule. Now we say goodbye to Alivia's nap. At least Addison still takes one.

 

Chris and I will really have to make use of our 2 hours of alone time at night now!

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Addison's Crawling!

 

She crawls

Today, just one day after turning 7 months old (or a few hours since she was born just before midnight), Addison started crawling. She has been scooting and doing the army crawl for a while...but now she is seriously mobile. It is so cute to watch her. She is gets so excited to reach her sister, Mommy, or her baby doll from Grandma Bet. For security she now falls to sleep with a tag (any tag will do) in one hand, and her thumb in her mouth. It all started with the tag on her blanket she goes to bed with.

Now, the fun begins...chasing after her!

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Addison is now 7 Months old!

Monday, February 12th marks 7 months since Addison was born! She has changed so much in the last month. She is now mobile...scooting her way around. She army crawls a bit. She is up in the crawl position, but falls back down and scoots. You can see in her eyes how much she wants to be more mobile. We have a little walker and she runs after Alivia and then comes back to see what I am doing. It is so cute. She is eating solids well now, but she tends to be a little picky. She is now working on mastering the sippy cup and giving up the bottle. To view Addison's 7 month pictures, go to http://capturetoday.photosite.com/Album43/.

Also, if you are awake on Monday, February 12th around 5:53am, Addison's 7 month birthday will be announced on birthdays on the 7's on Channel 7.

Happy 7-month Birthday Addison Rose!

 

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Is it time to quit?

This is a question that was asked on the front page of YAHOO! today, and it just happens to be one I ask myself daily. I have wanted to quit my job and stay home with our girls since I became pregnant with Alivia more than 3 years ago now. Chris has said all along, just quit and we will figure it out. Oh, I wish I could do that. I have a daily internal (and external) struggle over this decision. If the question were between $ and our girls...I would pick our girls everyday. It just is not that simple unfortunately. I am too much of a planner I guess. I asked Alivia and she wants to stay home everyday. But, if I ask her if she would rather stay home with Mommy or have toys...she picks toys (but this is from a 2 year old's perspective). Like my Dad would say...don't ask questions if you do not want to hear the answer. I have concerns about the future more than anything. I would quit for only a few years...but could I get a job in this industry again since they are really difficult to come by. What about saving for college for the girls? Would Chris and I retire EVER? So, the question remains and the struggle continues.

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Away from the cold

The last week we have been doing anything possible to stay away from the bitter cold. Friday I took the day off to baby my babies. Addison was suffering from a cold she just could not shake - so I thought I would keep her home. Well, my old home that is. We went and visited Grama and Boppa in Iowa. Alivia and Addison had fun playing with my old toys, especially the choo choo train! Addison took a much needed nap while Alivia, Boppa, and I went and visited Great Grandma Vera in the nursing home. Grandma Vera hates her new home, but was very alert and doing much better, I thought. It is so sad to see her there, though.

We skipped open gym on Saturday because I just did not feel like going outside. We did, however, go out for confession and Mass Saturday night. I thought it would not be as cold then versus Sunday morning. Mass for 1 1/2 hrs long. So, with confession we were there 2 1/2 hrs. Addison squeeled through much of the Mass, so I did not get a thing out of it. She squeals when she wants out, usually. So I guess she is not a fan of Mass yet. Chris made dinner before our eventful night (see previous post).

Today was the big Super Bowl. We do not watch football. But, we are a fan of funny commercials. Nikki came over and brought pizza so she could watch the game on our TV (she is too funny). 

Addison is getting so big! She is now eating much better. Alivia likes to help feed her, too. As you can see in the picture, Addison eats with one hand in the air. It is so adorable! This week Addison gets her 7-month pictures taken a little early. Alivia can now do a somersault (or a forward roll as they are now called). She can't wait to show her teacher in class tomorrow.

Have a good week!

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Super Bowl Funny...

Super Bowl Tradgedy Joke

Bob received a free ticket to the Super Bowl from his company.

Unfortunately, when Bob arrived at the stadium he realized the seat was in the last row in the corner of the stadium. He was closer to the Goodyear Blimp than the field!

About halfway through the first quarter, Bob noticed an empty seat 10 rows off the field right on the 50-yard line. He decided to take a chance and made his way through the stadium and around the security guards to the empty seat.

As he sat down, he asked the gentleman sitting next to him,

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" The man said "No."

Very excited to be in such a great seat for the game, Bob said to the man next to him, "This is incredible! Who in their right mind would have a seat like this at the Super Bowl and not use it?!"

The man replied, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Super Bowl we haven't been to together since we got married in 1967."

"That's really sad," said Bob, "but still, couldn't you find someone

to take the seat? A relative or a close friend?"

"No," the man replied, "they're all at the funeral!"

http://www.yikers.com/funny_joke_super_bowl_tradgedy.html

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Oh what a night...

No, I am not talking about a night out on the town barhopping (did Topher and I ever do that?). We started night potty training Alivia again last weekend, and it has been a big challenge. She has started to sneak into our room at night and, when sleeping in our bed, has an accident! After having her accident last night, I cleaned her up, we changed our sheets and took her back to bed. It took nearly 2 hours to get her to go to sleep (oh, and she woke Addison up, too!). Anyone have any suggestions for a child who will not go back to sleep at 2 am? I need to buy her a t-shirt that says, "party in my room at 2 am." I thought this started when she was 16 NOT 2.

Oh, Daddy and Alivia are still sleeping.

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Movie Review: The Illusionist

The Illusionist

Well I finally had a chance to sit down and watch a movie this past weekend (something quite rare these days, my movie watch list is growing out of control, I don't think I will ever catch up!). Anyway, I've been eyeing The Illusionist for quite some time now, and I have to tell you that this is an amazing movie from beginning to end.

The Illusionist stars Edward Norton as Eisenheim, a stage magician (who may or may not have supernatural powers) who amazes the audiences of 1900 Vienna. He becomes so popular and mystifying that he draws the attention of the power-hungry Crown Prince Leopold, played by Rufus Sewell.

When the Crown Princes' mistress, Sophie, played by Jessica Beil, assists the magician onstage, Eisenheim and Sophi recognize each other from their childhoods. A hidden-away love affair is resurfaced, and the romance continues all the while Chief Inspector Uhl, played by Paul Giamatti, is commanded by the Crown Prince to expose Eisenheim.

Anyway, without giving too much away, many twists and turns are thrown at you and Eisenheim prepares to execute his greatest illusion yet, which was pretty jaw-dropping for me.

I was drawn into the story and characters throughout the entire movie. The acting is captivating (especially Norton, and Giamatti) and the story line unpredictable and very well played out. The Illusionist is a must see for anyone who loves mystery and suspense.

I give The Illusionist a 5/5 - Excellent! I will add this one to my collection for sure. Rated PG-13. Run Time: 1hr. 49min. Release Date: August 18th, 2006.

Until next time, Topher out!

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Happy 3rd, Second Wedding Anniversary!

What?

Huh?

Okay, let me explain. Chris & I were married the first time on August 28, 1999 (yes, that is the date, Chris...it really was that long ago) in the Methodist Church (the Church I was brought up in). On January 31, 2004, Chris and I were married again in the Catholic Church as I was in the process of joining the Church. So, today marks our 3rd second wedding anniversary. A lot has changed since that cold day in 2004. Well, it is still cold. Other than that...we went from just the 2 of us (excluding the 2 cats we had at the time) to the 2 of us with 2 beautiful little girls (& now just one cat). We hope to pick-up dinner from somewhere to mark the occasion. We try and do a special dinner on this anniversary and gifts on our August Anniversary. Someday, I am hoping for a second diamond for this second wedding. Maybe today Topher will surprise me with that. Ha ha!

 

Happy Anniversary, Topher! This is the 3rd Anniverary to the best decision I have ever made (or is it almost the 8th anniversary...?). I love you!

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The Dilemma

Addison Naps...

Last week was not unlike any other. I had several lunch appointments which makes things seem crazier I think.  Friday night my parents and my sister came over for an impromptu pizza night. My parents were in the area and my sister was hungry. Alivia was exhausted and went right to sleep...until Topher and I got to bed. Chris helped me to see how the PS3 worked playing with others on the web. I actually played and it was kind of fun playing with other people. As soon as we went to bed and our heads hit our pillows, both girls were awake and crying. What was the deal? Chris swears they were talking to one another and had this planned. Needless to say, we were all rather tired come Saturday morning. We got up and did a little shopping before going to Grandma Kathy's and Grandpas to get the cat cleaned up before they arrived back from their trip to Jamaica.

Aunt Nikki came over shortly after we got home to play for a bit before Alivia took her nap. A nap she does not take. She is typically just naughty in her room until I tell her to forget it. Nikki ended up coming back after dinnertime and stayed for more PS3 Adult playing time on the web. Nikki and I are not good...but it is fun for a while. Again, shortly after falling asleep, the girls once again woke us up. I don't know what Addison's deal is...she rarely wakes at night. Alivia, on the other hand, is back to trying to stay dry at night...so will be waking us up for a while until we can get used to that again.  So, it is back to doing lots of laundry again, but we are hoping she catches on quicker this time.

Chris and I spent part of the weekend trying to organize the house. We are trying to see if we need to move into a larger space at some soon point or we just need to remove some of our stuff. I am hoping for the later. So, we will have a big garage sale come springtime and many trips to Goodwill probably before then.

Okay, the dilemma. Do we get rid of the baby clothes and baby things? Chris says, "YES!" I, on the other hand, am dragging my feet.  I think Topher should be flattered that I want to have more kids..:) However, at this point, he is done. I think the timing is bad to ask considering how much sleep we have had the last few nights. So, the decision...I am keeping the clothes, etc. At least for this year.

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Alivia is 32!

32 weeks old that is. Chris tells me to just say she is 2 1/2...but she is more than that technically. Our little girl is growing up too fast. She is now outgrowing her 2T clothes, clothes that just a couple months ago had to be rolled up and pinned up! It is just so sad to see her grow up so fast. It seems like yesterday that she was Addison's age and size.

Alivia is back to WORKING on potty training at night. She reverted for whatever reason, so we went back to putting on a pull-up for a couple weeks so we can sleep. Also, I could not keep up with the laundry! We are hoping to go back to no pull-up this weekend. She is finally getting better with her colors now and recognizing some of the ABCs. In her free time (all her time is free though) she likes to eat snacks, ride her scooter, play on her slide and in her tunnel system, cook at her kitchen set, play with her babies, and eat snacks (oh, did I say that already? :) ). She is a great cuddler and loves to gives hugs. She also looks forward to reading books at nights...always talking us into more books. She is a good sleeper on most nights now, too, which is nice. She loves her gymnastics class, too, already balancing on the beam and almost doing a sommersault. This morning she slept in a bit. While I was in the shower she woke up and went downstairs to get herself breakfast. The boxes of cereal were not opened, so she stood on a box of cereal to reach the baked Cheetos! Yes, that is what she had before breakfast this morning. The last time she tried to make herself breakfast was on New Years Day morning. She got out the Cheerios, got a bowl (dirty one) from the dishwasher, put the cereal in the bowl, got the milk out of the fridge, and poured the entire carton of milk on her cereal. She then tried to clean it up with a towel. When Chris arrived on the scene, she was sitting in her chair eating her cereal without a care in the world. She was hungry!

Happy 32 months Alivia. We Love You!

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Just another week...

Addison & Alivia

Every week seems like a blur lately. Last week I was busy every night on my work stuff. Thursday night Grandma Bet & Boppa came and brought pizza. Alivia had fun playing with them for bit, too. On Saturday we went to open gym. Alivia is really getting into her Monday gymnastics class, and the open gym gives her a chance to practice. She has now perfected the balance beam by herself! It is amazing to see what they do on such a small space. She is now trying to do a somersolt. She likes jumping on the trampoline best, I think. After all this snow we have gotten, you'd think we would be out sledding, but Alivia is scared of the snow. I don't know where this fear came from exactly. She did go down a small hill at Grandma Kathy and Boppa Bobs on Sunday. We were over there so Chris could snowblow since they were out of town. 

Addison has been going through new changes, too. On Friday she actually started to swallow her baby food! Oh, this is big progress. She now takes many bites at a time - up from 4 at the most. She is still not a fan of rice cereal, though. She now is very vocal about her needs. For example, she cries when Alivia takes her toys. Alivia often is telling her to "be quiet" when she squeals. I could write something new Addi is doing everyday probably.

I am getting prepared mentally and somewhat physically for my meeting out of town next month. I found out today that I will be rooming with a total stranger, so it ought to be a fun 4 nights. It would be like going up to someone in Target and asking them to spend 4 nights with you in a hotel room, a girl of course. Uh, no thank-you.

We have no big plans for the upcoming weekend really. There is not an open gym, so we will have to find something else fun to do to keep active. 

You can now see all of our posts/pictures by getting a vox, too.

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Please...Say Thank-you!

Okay, I am not Miss Manners or even close to her, but what happened to having manners? Is it not cool or fashionable to have them anymore or something? We have a rule at the Austin household, handed down from my Mom I think - you cannot wear it, play with it, or spend it until you have written a THANK-YOU note, unless the use of the item is a part of the note - in a picture or something. (Personally, I would accept a verbal receipt of the gift along with a verbal thank-you at this point).  Why am I so strict? I want the people that give us gifts to know that we appreciate their kindness and generosity and to express our gratitude. What really bothers me is when we send a gift and never hear from the people we sent it to. Did they receive it and just not get around to acknowledging the receipt, or did they think the gift was so bad that they did not know what to say to us? What is it? All I can do is guess.

 Please...Say THANK-YOU!

 

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/how_to_write_a_thankyou_note.php

http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/thankyou.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/thank-you

Okay...off my soapbox, at least for now...

 

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A quiet, cold weekend

Finger paint time

Last week was a busy week. Aunt Nikki came over for dinner on Wednesday and had a "play date" with Alivia. She helped to wear Alivia out so she slept well.

I did go to hospise to see my Grandpa George this week. I stopped in on Friday alone and he knew who I was. Sometimes he doesn't, which is hard. He asked about Chris and the girls, too. Friday was pizza night...but we decided that we have to tell Mamas Pizza that we want cheese and sauce on our pizza from now on. Chris and I rented "Little Miss Sunshine." Sorry, we do not see what all the hipe is about.

Saturday, after doing some finger painting, we went to open gym at where Alivia is taking her gymnastics class. She has a lot of fun there. It was quiet, too, so she could investigate all the equipment on her own.

Sunday we were planning on all this snow, so we stopped by the grocery store after church. We came home and Chris tried a new pizza recipe I had found. I was planning on making it, but Chris just did it. It turned out pretty good. Beth came over for dinner, too, and gave Chris good marks. Sunday was a quiet day, which are nice to have every once and awhile.

Addison is finally starting to really eat solids. She will now take 4-5 spoonfuls before turning her head and sucking her thumb (all done). She is moving more each day. I can no longer lay her down to play and expect her to stay in place. Alivia likes bringing her toys, too, which is cute. She is back to sleeping through the night, too!

Progress towards goals: I decided that there are a few things wrong with following the Dr. Laura house cleaning method: First, one needs to be home most of the day (as most at home Moms are as Dr. Laura recommends). There are a few other things standing in my way of the perfectly clean house: one busy child who likes to move toys and other items all over the house, time, tired, and a desire to play with my kids when I am at home. Humm...

After a little snow (maybe 5-6 inches), we are going to take a little late start this morning. Daycare is closed, so Alivia and Addison will spend the day with Grandma Kathy. This week, Alivia is back to gymnastics. I hope to take the girls to see Great Grandma Marci this week. We will see what the rest of the week brings.

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Happy 1/2 Birthday, Addison Rose!

 

Addison is 6 months old today. She had her 6-month check-up and is now 13 lbs and 26 inches long! So, what can Addison do at 6 months? She can sit up alone for longer periods of time, she scoots on her belly, belts out squeals, reaches for objects and scoots towards them, and is now quite aware when Mommy and Daddy leave her sight. Although she started cereal at 5 months, she started swallowing it only yesterday. Her first ear infection has now cleared up, but the habit of waking up at night has not, unfortunately. So, that is something we have to work on and fix ASAP before more of my hair falls out (oh, never mind, it seems to be doing that anyway). Addison had her 6 month pictures taken, and they can be viewed at http://capturetoday.com/weeklyupdates/addison_jan.html.

Happy Half Birthday Addison!

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Alivia, our little monkey

Tonight was Alivia's first gymnastics class. Alivia went from being shy to being open and playful instantly. She loved gymnastics class! It was good for her to be active after being cooped up in the house, too. She played on the rings, the ball pit, tried going over the bar, worked on the balance beam and jumped and jumped on the many trampolines. She had a blast and is looking forward to next week. Let's just hope next week the ride home is a little smoother.

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The True Test...

One can always tell what goals they are going to actually work towards after 1 week. I remember back in the day when Topher and I consistently went to the gym. We were always so annoyed by the New Years crowds,  but we knew in a week it would be better (and in a month it would be back to the normal crowds). After a week, we have stuck to most of our 2007 goals. However, neither of us has yet to step foot on the treadmill (unless you count when Alivia, Addison and I got on the treadmill and walked at .5 for 2 minutes).

It was a busy week. Chris returned to work on Wednesday, but then had to stay home with Addison on Thursday. He took her to the Dr where she had an ear infection among other things and was placed on her first dose of antibiotics. It is so hard to see the girls so sick so much of the time!

I had a new Dey employee riding with me on Thursday and Friday for my only dose of training.  Oh, does anyone have the $ to buy a pharmaceutical company? Dey, the company I have worked for for the last 7 years, is for sale. Oh, and the main drug that I sell, DuoNeb, has been approved for generic sale. We'll just see what the next few months bring.

Yesterday, Alivia, Addison, Aunt Nikki and I did a little shopping. Nikki helped put Alivia down for her nap in the afternoon. It was a fun afternoon. Today we ran a few errands and finally have wireless internet in the house. That is so nice! Now Topher can play PS3 with other PS3ers on the internet. That is so weird I think.You would be amazed to how many people want to shoot at people in a game on Saturday night at 10 pm (Topher included). This afternoon, Lucas and Uncle Brent came over to have our little Christmas. Alivia got a new baby! She continues to love her twin babies that they gave her last Christmas (she takes them EVERYWHERE).

So, what have the girls been up to? Alivia is into singing. She loves her ABC song and twinkle twinkle little star (she sings along with Baby Einstein). She talks along with Topher and I like she is 16. So scary how much that little girl knows. Alivia has now perfected riding on her new plasma car. Now she makes Topher and I chase her on her scooter which actually requires some effort. She also has started to dress and undress herself. Addison is now scooting away. Now that she is feeling a little better, she is back to being quite a little chatter box. She is now on a better schedule - napping at 10 and 2 usually. Her nighttimes are still random, sometimes she wakes up and others I have to wake her up in the morning. She is still a very good baby and a joy to our family.

Alivia starts her gymnastics this week, so she is excited about that. We will see how she does. I hope to see my Grandpa George in hospise this week. Addison has her 6 month check-up (so hard to believe she will be 6 months old this week!) and will have her 6 month pictures taken, too. So...another fun filled yet busy week. Untill next time...

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Topher & his PS3

The new PS3 (and that is a very happy Chris holding it).

I thought this post deserved to be alone. Chris finally got out his PS3 tonight. He was so excited just to hold the thing that I had to laugh. He only let me hold it for a moment like he thought I would accidentally drop it. He is like a little boy seeing the new Elmo Doll or something. Now, I just hope this thing works like he thinks it is going to. For as much as he had to pay for it - it should be 2 big diamond earrings in MY ears! Oh, but one of the things I did learn from my Dad (the man who owns an airplane, a Harley, 1 and now maybe 2 jetskis, and a boat) is that men like toys. Enough said I guess. I love you anyway, Topher.

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Time off is WONDERFUL!

 

Tomorrow is back to the daily grind for me anyway. Chris is taking another day off. He will have 11 days off! I just had yesterday off extra (my boss was in last week) but I have loved the extra time. I would love staying at home with the girls all the time. I think Alivia will have a very hard time going back to Judy's on Wednesday (Daycare). She likes playing at home. She told me tonight that I should stay home with her all the time. Oh, if she only knew how much I agreed!

Alivia has really gotten into the Christmas lights this year. I posted a couple pictures from our light seeing on Saturday night.

We finally got our first snow yesterday. We went to the 9 AM Mass and saw a car off the road on the way (and our church is only 5 minutes away). We had rain, sleet, then maybe 4-5 inches of fluffy snow. Chris went out and got pizza for our New Year's Eve dinner and he snow blowed the neighborhood a bit. That is how we like to spend our New Year's Eve. The girls had fun playing in the snow today for a bit since the weather was mild.

Today we started our goals...some proved to be too much right now. Like, I did not run a second, at least on the treadmill. I divided my household duties through the seven days to make things easier, so I thought. Today I had to clean the bathrooms. Easy enough, right. Well, maybe if we had just one or two bathrooms - but we have 4! I also had to finish up the laundry that is never done and get some of my Dey work done. Needless to say...the bathrooms are not perfect but they are cleanER now. Seriously, I think I would be a great housewife full time because I am so organized by I am pathetic at it part-time because I need more hours to do the job. I also would rather play with my kids and wait to do the house stuff when they are sleeping. How are everyone else's resolutions going?

This week I have a new girl riding with me Thursday and Friday. I was supposed to help with the training at my job but just declined. I have too much on my plate right now to take on training.  We will see what my boss thinks about that.

Addison has started waking at least 1 time at night now. She has not been eating well during the day with her cold, so I think that contributes to this new pattern. She has yet to actually swallow any rice cereal, so we think we may move onto something different. She may just be taking after her Daddy and being a bit picky. She also is crawling around in her crib at night - so I find her all over the place when she wakes.

Well, I best get to bed before somebody wakes me.  

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