I quit my job!

Holy cow I quit my job!

After much consideration, conversation and debating ... Brian and I finally decided that I could quit my job and stay home with Corbin. I had been working as a casting producer since we moved back to Washington and while hearing about other people's issues can been quite interesting, it had gotten to a point that just wasn't working for us anymore.

I was spending at least 2 hours a day commuting, and putting half of my monthly income into daycare so it's not like I'm giving up our life-savings.

I am SO excited to be able to see Corbin every day and help teach him all kinds of new things. Not to mention be there when he starts doing all of these firsts from now on. I'm hoping this new switch will allow us to work on him accepting solid foods more frequently as well.

I'm still going to be able to bring in a little money though, since I've decided to nanny a couple kids a few days a week.

I'm even more excited that this switch comes right as the weather starts taking a turn for the better so we can spend the Spring and Summer days at the park, or the zoo, or wherever else we want!

I.NEED.SLEEP.

Our little man has decided to take a couple steps backwards and is waking up three or four times a night ... every night. This has been going on for almost two weeks now, which means I've hit a new point of tired.

The problem is ... I don't know what to do to fix the problem. I'm not willing to try the whole "cry it out" method, because to me that just seems wrong. But that leaves me with a big problem ... what to do?

I smell like maple syrup!

Ever since Corbin got sick, and then I got sick, I have noticed a major decrease in my milk production. This in turn is making for one unsatisfied camper when he finishes eating. After doing some research and taking the advice of some very knowing mothers, I decided to take some alternative measure to get these ladies flowing. So the new items in my daily diet are: Brewer's yeast, Flax Seed Meal, Oatmeal, Gatorade and Fenugreek pills.

Have you ever even heard of half of those things?

Turns out, they are all (minus the gatorade, which just aides in hydration) natural products or herbs that just help kick start your body. Not to mention packed full of omega-3s, fiber and all other good things for me. The best thing is, there are recipes out there ... like lactation-boosting cookies, that help me get these ingredients into my daily diet, and they actually taste pretty darn good. (Ask Brian!)

The one side effect, I smell like maple syrup! That is the result of the Fenugreek pills, but I'm not complaining because it is all definitely working!

I am not anywhere near ready to stop breastfeeding Corbin yet, and hate the idea of formula, so I figure this was worth a shot. Hopefully things get back to normal and I can slowly phase out these pills and other ingredients and trust that my body will just keep up the good work, but in the mean time, its a good thing I like the smell of syrup!

Bad things really do come in 3s

So as if Brian having back surgery one week, and Corbin getting a cold the next, I came down with a nasty 24-hour flu bug the following. Thankfully it didn't come on until after Corbin was in bed for the night and I was feeling lightyears better by morning.

It sounds like it's going around though because within two days, Brian, his mom and sister, as well as my sister and niece all came down with the same bug. Thankfully Corbin didn't get it, but who knows ... he could have been feeling the effects of it along with his cold last week since not everyone has gotten physically sick.

2010 is really going out with a bang. 2011 better be much nicer to us ... I think we have paid our dues to hold us over for a while!

We're moving ... again!

As most of you might remember, when Brian and I moved back up to Washington, we set up shop at my mom's house while we figured out our plans and *hopefully* sold our house in Texas. Well, our house never sold, but we did recently lease it out so the mortgage payment is off our hands ... thank goodness!

Our original plan was to find our own place come October, and sure enough, we found a place that we love enough to move into! Its the cutest little craftsman home in downtown Puyallup, which makes it super convenient for Brian to get to work and very accesible to Seattle if I end up going back to work too.

The owners are very cool and flexible which is a big plus. Not to mention the carpets are brand new, which is so important since Corbin is going to be crawling all over the place in no time. And I will finally get to decorate Corbin's nursery! (It's like having a baby all over again, since I get to pick out his crib and bedding and room decorations, which I didn't do originally ... more to come on my nursery wish list soon!)

We are super excited, although part of me will really miss living at my mama's house. We are so grateful for her opening her house up to not just Brian and me, but Corbin and our two rowdy dogs as well. I'm sure she never thought she would send me off to college years ago and I would move back in with the whole family in tow!

But ... if anyone is around the last weekend of October and wants to help us move ... we promise lots of food and good beer! And if you look at the pictures below, you will definitely want to join us for a nice cold one on our awesome back patio! I see many great gatherings in our future ... now if we could only get our friends to drive down from Seattle more often!

My most favorite time of the year ...

I'm so excited now that Fall is here! I love everything about the season ... especially in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Corbin and I have been embracing the great fall days and going for lots of walks down on the river walk in Orting. I have also been taking advantage of the flavors of the season and baking all things pumpkin and drinking my fair share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

I've decided to make a new pumpkin recipe every week until Thanksgiving. So far we have enjoyed Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies and Pumpkin Spice Pancakes. I'm still deciding what my next recipes will be so if anyone has any suggestions send them my way. I might have to remake a few recipes from last year to see if I can do them better this time around ... especially the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

(If you want to try out some of these recipes, you should visit annies-eats.com. It's my go-to place for the best recipes.)

I'm looking forward to Corbin experiencing all of the upcoming holidays and celebrating them with our families ... which we haven't been able to do for a few years now.

Bad mommy blogger!

So I have really dropped the ball on this blogging thing lately. But now that life is getting into a loose routine and Corbin is enjoying the world a little more, I will have more time to update you on our life. Not to mention, now that Corbin is growing up and developing quite the personality, there is a lot more to talk about. So check back soon for more updates and pictures. I might even attempt a video if I get super ambitious!

Lots to come ...

I have A LOT of updating to do on this darn blog. I should be able to find some time soon, but for those of you who don't know, our son Corbin made his arrival on July 8. I will have pictures, my birth story and many more details to come in the very near future so bear with me while I get my days in order.

But right now, I am going to go snuggle with my most adorable son.

A great weekend with great friends

Brian and I got to spend a weekend with our favorite Boston/Dallas/Chicago-ians when they made their first trip to the Seattle area. We met Dan and Alexis shortly after we all moved to Dallas, them from Boston, us from Seattle. They were in the same boat as us ... moving to a new city for a job and taking on a new adventure far away from home. Dan's company did work with Brian's company and after meeting, Brian invited them to meet us for dinner.

Well that dinner turned into many more dinners and dates ... until just a couple months after them moving to the area, Dan's job moved them to Chicago. But our friendship didn't end there ... Alexis and I have become "internet buddies" and have spent countless hour chatting while at work (shhh...don't tell our bosses!). It didn't help that we got engaged 3 days apart and married 3 months apart so we had more than enough in common to talk about ... now if we can just get them on the baby train I see many great family vacations in our future!

After more than two years of our web relationship, we finally got to spend time together like real friends do ... in person!

During their visit, we went to dinner on the pier at The Crab Pot and had Sunday brunch at the top of the Space Needle. They also got to spend time shopping and hanging out at Pike's Place Market. I was very excited when they said how much they loved the city ... now only if we could figure out a way to convince them to move here.

The boys with their mallets getting ready for their "Seafeast" dinner

Taking in the view from the observation deck at the Space Needle.

Thanks so much, Dan and Alexis, for visiting us! We had such a great time. Now here's hoping we don't have to go another two years before we get together again!

The CUTEST baby shower ever!

I am so lucky to have such an amazing sister, best friend and mom who threw me the most adorable baby shower I have ever seen. The baby shower was at Ashley's house and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I absolutely loved the western/backyard BBQ theme, which totally worked with my one and only request for the shower ... my mom's spicy BBQ beans. I can safely say that I got a whole heck of a lot more than just beans!

It was great to spend the afternoon with my family and friends who showered me with way too many gifts. Our little guy is so spoiled already ... now it's just awaiting his arrival so we can put all of these great items to use!

Aren't these the cutest onesies you have ever seen? Ashley made them and they go from one month to a year old. I can't wait to take our little man's monthly pictures in these!

A couple of pregnant girls! My sister and I are due 12 weeks apart ... both having boys!

Me and my mom!

My best friend and owner of the fantastic home they hosted my shower at.

Our little man will definitely be rocking these denim diapers when he is big enough. I loved this diaper cake so much, I didn't want to take it apart.

One of my other best friends, Alexis, who flew in from Chicago just for the shower!

Thank you to everyone who showed up for such a memorable afternoon. I am so very lucky to be surrounded by so many great people.

Walla Walla Weekend

Brian and I headed over to Walla Walla for a little weekend trip recently. We wanted to take a trip over before the baby was born and his mom decided to throw us a little welcome home party/baby shower as well.

The weather was fantastic so we headed out on a drive through the wineries and stopped at one of our favorites for a little wine tasting (well minus me...I had a nice tastey cup of water). Brian even signed us up for the wine club so we have some delicious bottles just waiting for me after this little guy is born.

We spent some time with our good friends Gwen and Steve as well. We finally got to see their new house ... which is ADORABLE ... and we went to the dirt track to cheer Steve on while he raced BMX bikes. It was great to spend some time with them again, since we hadn't really seen them since the wedding.

On Saturday evening, everyone came over for the party and we had a great time catching up with old friends and I finally got to meet some people who are close with the Halls that I had yet to meet. We got some wonderful gifts as well, which is more than appreciated and definitely got us started on stocking up the nursery!

(If I get some pictures from Jan --- hint, hint --- I will post them here later)

On our drive back, we took the round-about way over White Pass and took in the scenery. We passed a few waterfalls and lakes and scouted out a couple campgrounds that I'm thinking we will have to go back and visit in the future.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the in-laws. Who knows when we will be able to make it back over next.

A weekend away...

Brian and I planned a weekend away to Ocean Shores to celebrate our anniversary. (well...Brian planned on surprising me with the trip, but we all know he gets too excited and can't keep secrets so I was included in the planning a few weeks ago.) We figured it would be a great trip, just the two of us, to celebrate a year of wedded bliss and the last getaway before our little man makes his grand debut!
We stayed at a friend's beach house that was right on the canal, which was a nice relaxing change from staying in a hotel.

Brian had never been to Ocean Shores before so we spent most of our time touring around town. We visited the local shops, took a few walks along the beach and just enjoyed the perfect weather. We even took the paddle boat out on the canal (but don't tell my mom!) and gambled away a few dollars at the local casino.

If you were to ask Brian what his favorite part was, I bet he would say driving on the beach. Every time we would drive somewhere, he would drive down to the beach and along the shore until we got to a point where we needed to turn then he would head back out to the main roads.

And of course we did our fair share of eating. We found this fantastic bed and breakfast where we had our "official" anniversary dinner, and it couldn't have been more delicious. Who wouldn't love a four-course meal with homemade clam chowder, steak and lobster overlooking the ocean? Brian did manage to keep one surprise and brought us cupcakes from Indulge for our anniversary cake ... and planned them to replicate the colors and flavors of our actual wedding cake.

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. It was hard heading back to town, knowing we had to go back to work the next day. Soon enough we will be taking our little bundle of love on ocean trips as a family ... but it was great to have one last trip without worrying about nap times and poopy diapers.

Oh ... and can I tell you how many deer we saw just hanging around the town? I would say we counted at least 20 just wander through the neighborhoods and beaches.

You know you're back in the Pacific Northwest when ...

A bald eagle flies right in front of your car when you are sitting in the middle of the city. It was a pretty cool way to be welcomed back on my first day at the new job.

First day of Spring in Texas

Yup ... we finished of a crazy, snowy winter with a blizzard and about 2 inches of snow on the first day of Spring. Is it weird to say I'm excited to get back to Washington where the weather is a little more predictable?

It's official!

Our house is on the market and we are moving back to Washington!
To finally answer the questions about all of Brian's "business" trips to Washington and my lack of details in certain departments ... Brian has gotten a job in Washington and will begin working in mid April. What will he be doing? He is making a MAJOR career change and will be working the streets ... as a police officer! We both think that this is going to be a great change for him, not to mention our future.
We are looking forward to living closer to all of our family and friends, although, our time in Texas has been a great experience. There will definitely be days when I will miss the 70 degree weather in December.
As for me, I am hoping to find a job in the Tacoma area before we move, otherwise I might be hanging out in Texas for a couple extra weeks to make a little extra money during the transition process. Or ... better yet ... if we could just find someone who wants to buy our house, that will relieve a lot of pressure. (any interested buyers out there?)
But I am so excited to finally be able to share this great news with everyone. 2010 is going to be quite the year of change, with the move and the baby. Let's just hope everything goes smoothly and we can settle into our new life in Washington in no time.

Because they are so cute...

That's all.

In other news ...

You might be surprised to know, but we have lives that consist of more things than just me being pregnant.

Life hasn't been too busy lately, but we have had a few things happen during the past few weeks.
In unfortunate news, Brian's grandfather Oscar passed away January 15 after a long battle with Leukemia and other major illnesses. It was very sad for all of us to see him go, but we know he can rest comfortably and is in a better place.
We took a drive up to Searcy, Arkansas for the funeral services and were able to reconnect with some of Brian's distant family. As much as their family might not be close, I think it's always nice to catch up and share stories with everyone. Whether or not we will ever see them again, who knows.
Since we were there, we all decided to take an extra day and check out Hot Springs and Little Rock. There isn't much I can say about Little Rock, since there wasn't much there, but it's always nice to add another name to the list of places we have visited. But we did take time to visit the Bill Clinton Presidental Library and Museum and ride the trolley around the city.
As for Hot Springs, it was a neat little historical town and is actually considered a National Park. We took a tour through one of the old Bath Houses, wandered through the town and stuck our toes in the hot spring...which are on average 140 degrees!

It's my birthday ...

... and I will eat a whole bouquet of cookies if I want to!

Thanks to my loving mother and sister, I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers and a delicious cookie bouquet and then some!

My golden birthday was a great day ... once I finally got off ork. After a very stressful day at the office, I was able to come home and make my mom's famous Hungarian Goulash and foccacia bread, which I have eaten for my birthday for as many years as I can remember. It's never as good as moms when I make it myself but it was still pretty darn good.

Brian surprised me and invited our good friends Nick and Julianne over for dinner and they brought some delicious cupcakes, including my favorite Red Velvet, and some sparkling cider. It was great to spend time with them and celebrate my birthday.

And thank you to everyone who called and sent their birthday wishes! I am grateful to have such wonderful people in my life! Here's to an exciting 26th year and many, many more.

a quick catch-up

Life has been moving in all kinds of directions since I last updated on here. I will spare you all the extensive details and just offer a quick rundown of life the past 6 ½ weeks.
First, to follow-up to the squirrel post. After I wrote the post about it, I couldn’t sit around and wait for Brian to get home so I geared up with a plastic bag, big gloves and a bandana over my face and prepared for what was to come down the chimney when I opened the flue. Nothing. I dug around with the fireplace poker and found nothing, so I turned the fireplace on as high as it can go, and we haven’t had a problem since.
:::knocking on wood:::
Brian’s sister, Darcy, and her boyfriend, Brian, came to visit us over Halloween weekend. We showed Brian around town, walked around Dealey Plaza (Where JFK was shot), went and toured the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, and Darcy and boyfriend Brian went to San Antonio for the WSU game against Notre Dame.
Brian and I attended our first game at Cowboys Stadium. Let me tell you … that place is pretty impressive. I felt like I was underdressed the stadium was so fancy. If you ever get a chance to check it out, I highly suggest it.
We spent Thanksgiving in Texas again this year, and decided to stay home and cook our first Thanksgiving dinner all by ourselves. I was pretty impressed. Everything turned out quite tasty, and more importantly … we didn’t burn the house down.
Since Brian has been traveling a lot lately for the “business” we agreed to stay in Texas for Christmas this year. We took a trip up to Washington in December to visit with my family and celebrate the holidays while we were there. It was great to see everyone, and just have a weekend to relax with the family. Brian also had some business to take care of while we were there, and hopefully soon I can tell you all about it. We are waiting for some final details before we share that news.
The Hall family decided to come to Texas for Christmas since we weren’t coming home. It was nice to have some family around for the holiday, and I believe that is what kept me in good spirits. I have to say that it was weird to not wake up at Mom’s house on Christmas morning. Hopefully we will make it home for the holidays for many years from here on out.
During the Hall’s visit, we did a lot of shopping, and also went to the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan on Christmas Eve. It was a great holiday experience. AND…while we were there, it was snowing like crazy outside and I got my white Christmas after all. I don’t think I even have to say how excited that made me.

That’s about all we have been doing, beside the regular grind of work and life. Now that you are all caught up on our life, I will be updating more frequently and hopefully, with more exciting news.

(I will add some pictures to this post soon)

Bad blogger...

...Is exactly what I have been for more than a month! I promise to re-commit myself to this blog here shortly, as I have many things to update on. And now that the holidays are over, and my hectic few weeks at work are just about complete, I will have time to write about all the happenings in our world.