Pleasant surprise

On Tuesday I went to get my oil changed and we ran into a snag. When they went to rotate the tires, the mechanic came out and told me that the last person to put my lugnuts back on had zipped them on so fast that it not only stripped them, but they were on so tight that they were about to break! I told them to leave them alone and I would take it in to the people that I have do my tires. I have been going to American Tire (not America's Tire) off of Via Fabricante as long as I have owned a car. I went over there and sure enough they said that the lugnuts needed to be replaced. I was bummed that right before Christmas I would need to spend my money on something like this. I was really pissed at Jiffy Lube since they were the last ones to rotate my tires. I'm never going back there! Anyways, as they finished up I prepared to get out the credit card and they just handed me my keys and said Merry Christmas! I was shocked. I know they were great to their customers, but fixing something that they had nothing to do with is above and beyond! If anyone is looking for a good and honest mechanic, this place is awesome. They have fixed flats, rotated tires, aligned, etc. all for free. Some of the time I wonder how they make money!


I've also been getting into the whole girl thing lately. I just got these little shoes the other day at Gymboree for 12 bucks. I couldn't resist. I think I am going to go broke outfitting this kid. With Micah, there were so many things on sale and I always felt like I got a good deal on his clothes, but when you go to the girls section and look in the sale area, it doesn't seem like a very good deal. It's better than full price, but come on!


My shopping adventures don't end there. My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, so I ended up with a lot of gift certificates (my favorite). Anyways, I had one for 50 bucks to Nordstrom's that I wanted to spend. I went in and raided the reduced section and got myself this cute shirt (empire waist of course), the blue belt, a silver necklace, silver bangle and a gold bangle. My total? $50.10! I walked away with all of this and only had to pay a dime out of pocket!
Last stop, Target! Another 50 bucks in gift certificates to spend. I'm kind of lame though. Instead of getting myself something really fun, I got toothpaste, deodorant, and things like that. I did get some Christmas decorations though. Some pretty silver ornaments, ribbon to wrap around the tree and finally wrapping paper, tape, gift tags and hooks. I think I am a pretty good estimator because I looked in my basket and thought it was about 50 bucks worth. My total? $49.98! I should go on The Price is Right! Anyways, we got our tree up and it looks better than in this picture since we put up more ornaments, ribbon and candy canes. Micah can't get enough of it. We plugged it into an outlet that goes to a light switch, so he loves to turn it on and off throughout the day. Hopefully the tree will survive his little hands this Christmas!

Our Thanksgiving

So for Thanksgiving this year, we went up north to Oakley, CA. It is pretty close to Tracy (I think most people have heard of that place. It is about a seven hour drive and we left on Thursday morning at 5:45. We were hoping Micah would sleep through most of it, but he was wide awake almost immediately. He was an excellent traveler. We kept handing snacks and books back to him and singing songs. He only asked to get out once and the rest of the time he was completely happy. We were both pleasantly surprised. Anyways, we arrived that afternoon and Chad busted out the Rock Band. It was a wild success. Everyone loved playing it and the songs are fun. The game has a drum kit, guitar and a microphone to sing along. Paige was our singer for most of the songs, Chad and Micah manned the drums and Brian (What) was on guitar most of the time. It was very entertaining. I have to add that it was much safer than playing Pictionary which ended in a fight over rules. I thought my family was competitive! Friday is the day we actually celebrated Thanksgiving since my brother-in-law had the day off. Firefighters have those strange schedules! Anyways, Tory and her family came down with their new puppy and Tracy and her family came down too. We took a family picture (above). Each family is in their own color, so you will know who belongs to who. We had Thanksgiving dinner with the famous Trotter "Green Stuff" and I did try it! All in all, we had a fun time and we really enjoyed everyone's company. Scott and Miriam were nice enough to take us and feed us almost every meal too. What a fun family we have!

It's a.....

GIRL!!! We are so excited, but we kind of thought that all along. In fact, Chad didn't even bother thinking of a boy name because he was so convinced it was a girl. Most of you who voted were right. I think the final score was 76% girl and 24% boy. Now it is time to start getting ready! If anyone is thinking about getting rid of their old baby clothes, think of me as Goodwill. I will take anything right now!

Lately

There hasn't been a whole lot going on here. Micah is his usual self. He does random things that make us laugh. The other day I walked into his room to see him sitting in this basket watching Cars. Who does that? The next day, he came out of his room saying "look a me." What was I looking at? His drum over his head. He had his nose smashed up against the side and everything. I think the best part is that he is laughing as he does these things because he realizes they are funny too!
In other news, the hormones are kicking in! I remember when I was pregnant with Micah I was bawling on Christmas Day. For no reason of course, I just felt like crying! Well, I'm not that bad this time around, but Chad won't allow me to watch Intervention, the addiction show. I am also banned from The Deep End of the Ocean and Forrest Gump as I am guilty of being the biggest cry baby while watching them. What can I say, I am a little sensitive right now!

Finally, in more exciting news, I have an appointment on Wednesday to find out the sex of our baby. I thought I had to be at least 17 weeks to find out, but found out you only have to be 12 for this place in Costa Mesa...thanks Summer! I went to this place with Micah and you get pictures and you can record it all for $25. If anyone needs the info you can find it at http://www.ultrasoundme.com/contact.html. We are so excited! Ribbons and bows or trucks and bugs? We will see. It will be like an early birthday present to myself!

Girl's night!!!!

I have a group of friends that I have been close with since high school. Debbie, Allyson, Val, Carrie and Kristyn along with myself. Yes, years and years later, we are still close and get together as often as we can to sit and talk and laugh our butts off. Although some of us are off in other states right now (Val and Kristyn), we have always been there for each other through dating, marriage and now kids and kids and kids! So last night those of us that are in the 949 area code got together for dinner at Claim Jumpers. We got there at 6:30 and they sat us at the same table that I broke the news about being pregnant with Micah. That wouldn't have been a big deal if it hadn't become some sort of tradition. I think it is the new pregnant table because Carrie shared with us that she is unexpectedly expecting! Only a few months into marriage and there is a baby on the way. Ladies, we all know babies come when they want to and not necessarily when we are ready! Anyways, we had a BLAST! We always share stories and get loud and obnoxious, but I don't think we ever give a care. I love these girls! At the end of dinner, Debbie was nice enough to buy us all a scooner to share for my birthday. I got a candle and everything! Gotta love that fudge. Well, I was enjoying it until the table next to us got Buffalo wings. That smell took the wind out of my sails! Anyways, it was a fun night and we were there until 9:00! Time flies when you are having fun. I can't wait for our next girls night!

WWE

The other night I was just hanging around the house and Micah was playing in our room. He came out and ran up to me and said "Come 'ere mommy." He put his hand out for me to grab and drags me back into my room, then he tells me "watts!" I watched him as he climbed up our bed and did the following:



I think he might have a future in the WWE. What should his name be? The Diaper Dominator, Raging Rugrat, maybe the Toddler of Terror! I have to say that my favorite part of the video is when he says "up a daisy." He is so manly sometimes!

P.S. I just wanted to thank you all for your advice on my last blog. It helped me to take a look at the whole situation. I love when I can see things from a different perspective. We decided to take our chances and go up north for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again for the holiday. Thanks!

Need advice...again

So I guess this is less like a blog and more like a Dear Alice column for me. Seriously though, I do need advice. I am not sure what to do when it comes to Thanksgiving. Last year Chad and I went up to the bay area to spend Thanksgiving with Chad's brother and sister and their families. We had a lot of fun while we were there hanging out with his family. This year, Chad's entire family is going to be up north and everyone is going to spend Thanksgiving up there for the first time in years. It is kind of the going away party for his parents who will be moving to St. George in a few months. They are arranging for a family portrait and everything. Chad is excited because he is getting that new Rock Band game and I know the whole family will be playing it. Here is where the problem is. I am still not consistently feeling normal. I have more good days than bad, but I still have days here and there that I am sick as a dog laying on the couch. The last thing I want to do is go all the way up there and be laying on the couch as the stick in the mud. I also don't want them to feel like they need to take care of me. I have to eat within about a half hour of waking up or I will get sick and I don't want someone to go out of their way to help me. There is also the fact that my parents would like to have us for Thanksgiving this year since we weren't there last year. It's also my birthday, so they want to be able to celebrate with me. I also have friends coming into town that I haven't seen in a while, my dad is speaking in church that Sunday and of course the cost of gas as we travel 8 hours. I don't want to let Chad down either. He honestly thinks that I am making this up or something. He thinks that I am making up excuses to not go, but I really do want to go. At the same time, I have things pulling me in the opposite direction. I am really not sure what to do. Please let me know what you would do in my situation. I need to make a decision soon!

Stuck inside

Micah and I have spent a LOT of time inside lately. Between his cold and my off and on morning sickeness, I don't think we have been around friends or playmates for about a week. Micah has had a cold for a little over a week and although Chad and I haven't gotten sick from him, I don't want him to get other kids sick, so we have not been to church or Music makers in two weeks. Poor kid has a cough that creeps up at night. I can hear him in the middle of the night coughing sometimes. As for me, I am about 13 weeks now and I was hoping that at the three month mark, the morning sickness would go away, but it hasn't. I am having more good days than bad, but I am definitely not out of the woods yet. It is really frustrating to not feel normal. It makes me realize how easy I had it with Micah, but it still drives me nuts that I can't run a normal life at this time. I feel bad that Micah stays inside most of the day and Chad rarely has a meal made for him. Not only is he working full time and going to school, but he also has to make dinner and clean up after. He is so helpful and I am grateful that he is so supportive. Anyways, with all this time spent inside, I am getting VERY bored. I swear I check everyone's blogs like four times a day hoping that they have something interesting going on in their lives as I sit here going out of my mind! If anyone has any suggestions to keep us entertained at home, let me know. I am game for just about anything at this point!

Random

So, I have pregnant brain again. All those who have been through it know that you get a little on the ditsy side. It isn't something made up. There is an actual term for it, but I don't know what it is. I know that one of the major arteries to your brain diverts some of the blood to the uterus, so you aren't quite as sharp as usual. Anyways, the other day I was going to run to the ATM real quick with Chad to deposit a check and then go to Costco for a few essentials. Well, we went to the ATM and I was trying to activate a new ATM card, but it wouldn't work, so I used my old one, deposited the check, got my receipt and went on my merry way. That was the problem though, after I got my receipt, I hadn't asked for my ATM card to be returned, so it sat in the machine with my screen on as we drove away. Of course I didn't realize this until we were a few miles away and I broke out into a sweat with a panic attack! I frantically called my bank which cancelled all of my ATM cards as we drove back. Micah heard the panic in my voice and kept asking "mommy what happen?" Luckily, the ATM will consume the card if it is left for about a minute in the machine and my balance and ID are safe. Too bad I don't have any easy access to my money now! I have to use my credit card and checks for a while. I swear, I can be retarded!

On a happier note, I thought I would put this video up of Micah. He has been singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all day. It was so much funnier before because he was singing the "twinkle twinkle" part normal and then when he would get to "little star" his voice would go up really high! Anyways, enjoy!

7 things

I have been tagged. Normally I think these things are pretty lame, but this one I thought was funny. Summer tagged me (thackerfam.com), so I am going to share a couple things about me. The rules are:
1-Link to your tagger and also post these rules on your blog
2-Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3-Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4- Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I CANNOT eat bell peppers. They make me so sick for days on end. I swear I am borderline allergic to them.
2. I loved Paula Abdul during her "Straight Up" days. I even asked my mom to invite her to my seventh birthday party. She ended up getting a Pee Wee Herman impersonator. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

3. I have a huge phobia of lightning. I would get so scared I would be sick as a child. I am a lot better now, but it still is not fun or cool for me. You will find me hiding inside the house!

4. I never went to the ice cream man as a child. In efforts to keep from spending money on the ice cream man, my mom would tell us that he would steal little kids and throw them in his freezer. So, as others rushed to get their ice cream, we rushed inside the house. Way to traumatize us mom!

5. Chad and I are VERY fertile. We tried very hard not to get pregnant with Micah, but it happened despite all of our efforts. This new one only took one try and we were pregnant. It runs in the family. I think both of our families have more unplanned children than planned.


6. Giving blood makes me faint EVERY single time. I am not afraid of needles. It actually doesn't happen until about 5 minutes after giving blood that I pass out. I gave blood in high school for the first time and passed out in front of everyone. The Red Cross called me later and told me not to give anymore because they didn't want to have to deal with me.
7. I have NEVER seen Star Wars. Not one full episode ever in my life. I seriously have no interest in it. I am sure I have offended many people in saying that.Funny enough, I was given the nickname Jabba when I was a baby (yes, a fat baby) and still haven't seen it.

OK, so I will tag:
Valerie-www.babyhomepages.net/pagebabes/
Sarah-sarahdb.blogspot.com/
Rachel-bruschkefamily.blogspot.com/
Michelle-dunkleyfam.blogspot.com/
Lauren-laurenablack.blogspot.com/
Jenny-njdyal.blogspot.com/
Amy-lajwbrady.blogspot.com/

By the way, I won't be offended if you don't do it. I just think it will be fun to read about your quirks. It will make me feel a little more normal to know others have them too!

...smell my feet!

Yesterday was a lot of fun for us! Chad's work has the kids trick or treat from office to office each year. This year Chad and I decided that it would be fun to dress Micah up as a rock star. We got a couple of tatooes from the grocery store's little vending machines, blue hair spray for his mohawk and cut off the sleeves to an old t-shirt of his. We added a metal bracelet, worn jeans, black cons and of course the guitar and he was set. He loved the tatooes...is that a bad sign? Anyways, he was quite the cute little punk and he really enjoyed having people give him candy for nothing. We were asked about his owies a couple times and we just told everyone he was in a bar fight and they should have seen the other guy. Truth be told, it was the burns from the other night when we made cookies. Anyways, we went to my parents' neighborhood to trick or treat with Emma Dunyon, who was a cute little Cinderella. Speaking for myself, I was tired by the end of about four blocks and we had more than enough candy for the year by then. As for our place, we set up out jack-o-lantern and set out a bucket of candy on our front porch. When we got back, ALL of it was gone except for the Starbursts. I think someone just emptied it since we didn't even see any trick or treaters in our complex. Someone is going to be very sick!