The Hills 2-24-09

I finally got a few pictures off of my camera :)



Valentines Day Dinner - Steak, twice baked potatoes, corn casserole and onions/mushrooms....yummy!










My little heartbreaker before his Valentines Day party at school. He will be a heart breaker becuase he already told me that mommy is his best friend. :)


















Tiger Woods pose!


















Writing out his V-day cards















Ready to go play in the snow with Daddy


















Getting a Tucker dog to match his Quincy that Aunt Manda and Uncle Ry got him at Holland Hospital last year. He sleeps with them every night!












Opening his present from the Hillers (next door neighbors). It was a "Big Brother" book.














Ice skating after the hockey game

















Sitting with Grandma Brooks at the hockey game

Are you happy Mom??? :) See - when I don't blog pictures it just makes you appreciate me more when I do!

What else is new???? Not much. I had another doctors appointment, but everything is pretty boring right now....I hope it stays that way! I have been tired, but that is to be expected. I do really, really like my new OB/Gyn. He is dorky and goofy, but he takes the time to really talk to me each time I go in. He understands that my insurance is being a pain in the rear with only allowing 2 sonograms, so he is not marking all of them - or if he does he said he'll mark that they were medically necessary and then insurance can't deny them. Last week though, he has a really old school sono machine that a doctor who retired left there, so he did one instead of just doing the heart rate with the doppler. It was still around 170 - Justin's was never higher than 150 so there is still a chance it could be a girl! When I was around 10 weeks pregnant, I was having really bad cramps and called the doctor. He got me in right away and they did a sono and everything was okay. Then on the check-out sheet, he didn't even put a sono on there...just a follow up. I am really glad to have an understanding and caring doctor....they are fewer and far between these days!

Things on the work front for me are going great! (knock on wood!) On Friday I got committments for a large CAT job, plus a school district that has work at 3 schools. Total on all of the jobs was around $1M!!! I was so nervous that the CAT job was not going to materialize, but lucky for me they already have the building started and now need it to be heated/cooled! I went to Chicago for work yesterday to meet with my boss and go over the job. With a job of that volume, I wanted another pair of eyes on my numbers and selections. They are 6 identical units, which makes life easier - but it also makes for 6 mistakes if there is an error! Luckily, we found none and found a way to save even more $$ - ie more profit! Also, when I was up there, I found out that I was salesman of the month for December! What does that get me? Not much other than the satisfaction of having my name on the plaque on the wall and $100 Best Buy gift card, but I was happy! Hopefully if I can time the bookings of these new jobs right, I might get it once or twice this spring! A few more years and Rob and I will be able to buy a flat screen for our bedroom! :)

I think that's all for now. I am soooooo ready for spring/summer!

The Hills 2-18-09

Hi there! Sorry I have not been to "bloggy" lately.

I do have a few pics to post - Justin on Valentines Day, visit from G&G Brooks, etc. but my camera has the micro SD card in it and my computer won't read it. I have to get the cable at home.

Not much is new around here. Just working, daycare, hockey games, etc. Monday we went to the Rivermen team dinner. Justin was good and ate (read: wore) lots of spaghetti. We took a coloring book for him and he wanted the coaches daughter to color with him (she was one table over). He was too shy to ask her though. It was funny - he would get closer, but would not go over there. Even the Russian player who barely spoke English sitting next to Rob thought it was funny :) Oh, and we had a lady come up to us at the dinner and tell us how much her and her husband enjoy watching our family at every game. She thinks we are adorable and loves to see Justin at all of the games. They have season tickets at the top of the section next to us - they have had them for 15+ years. She was an older grandma type lady, probably in her 60-70's. She made my night :)

We have a game tonight, Saturday (I'm going to be at Lisa Lampenelli - a comedian - with Katie & Jen though....boys hockey night!), and then again on Sunday with the bouncers before the game and skate with the team after. Lots of hockey right now, but we all enjoy it!

What else.... I bought new Puma shoes - I love them! No matter how fat I get, new shoes always look stylish :) They are not exactly like this picture, but close. I love them because they have ties, but the tongue and inside is a single piece neoprene, so you can just slip them on. Super comfy! Oh, and Motherhood Maternity now makes LONG jeans!!!! Yeah!!! The only problem is that I bought XL Longs and they are too big after a few hours becuase they are stretch. I think I might go and get the L Longs and see how they fit. I got capris too for Vegas! Hopefully it's warm enough to wear them then! We leave in 23 days, but who's counting?!?!

I think that's all for now. I will try to get some pics up here soon! Hang tight mom :)

Any ideas?

I got an email this morning from the person in charge of the Rivermen "adopt a player" program. It's where you buy gifts and cards and leave notes of encouragement, etc. for your "player". It's anonymous until the end of season banquet. This year though, the players want to know who the families are before the banquet - which is different than in the past.

Anyways...our player was Tyson Strachen. He got moved up to the Blues (NHL) back in November and has been there ever since. So the email asked us if we would take on another player - Manny Legace. Don't get me wrong; I'm excited to do it....but what do you get a guy who makes 2.5M a year and has already won the Stanley Cup in Hockeytown? Seriously. This program is more for players who are just starting out - many of them are not even 21 yet, living far away from family, making minimal money, etc. Manny has essentially been demoted from the Blues and now he's back in the AHL. We don't even know how long he'll be here. He has 900K left on his contract this season and any NHL team could take him for 1/2 of that (the Blues would have to pay the other 1/2). I am guessing he'll be picked up by someone, but you never know.

So any ideas on what to get him would be appreciated! The only thing I can come up with is to google him and see where (if) he went to college and get him a hoodie from there?



(Picture from the pre-season scrimmage with the Blues and Rivermen)

Ramblings from The Hills....

Nothing much is going on around here. I will try to take some new pictures soon - maybe tonight at the Rivermen game.

*After posting about how horrible my doctor is, I got a call around 7:30pm. I didn't recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail. It was Dr. Adams checking to see how Justin was and gave me his cell in case I had any concerns or questions. Now I feel bad, because he must really care to do that on his way out of the office.

*Justin is feeling better. He's still on meds, but he is back to his normal self for the most part. He has been doing really good with the potty too. The antibiotics make for a lot of book reading in the bathroom, but so far he has told us every time he has to go! I guess the set back last week was just a quick day or two lapse.

*I found a pair of jeans! They were at Bergners and were only $49.99 and 30% off. I don't think they will fit all summer, but they work for now when I need them in the cooler weather. They are long enough, but more straight leg than boot cut - kind of a dressy jean. That's okay - good for work with my black boots.

*Work is busy, but not the good order taking busy. It's bidding season and that makes for long days and not knowing if you'll be successful or not. I was supposed to be getting a contract for a CAT job, but the contractor has not gotten the paperwork yet and each day that goes by makes me more nervous with the way the economy is. It was in the $600K ballpark.....

*President Obama will be in Peoria tomorrow. There are a lot of people bitching and complaining that he's going to back up traffic, he's only here to promote the stimulus package, blah, blah, blah. I don't want to get into a debate on my blog about politics, but whether people agree with his plans/policies or don't, at least he's trying SOMETHING. I think it's an honor to have the president visit our town and I wish it were open to the public.

*The breaking news headline here today is that if the stimulus package passes with "acceptable" measures, that CAT will be re-hiring laid off workers. I think that it's all smoke and mirrors and a "feel good" for Obama's visit tomorrow. Last I had heard they were not even done with layoffs yet. I think it's going to give false hope to a lot of people who don't need more heartache.

*The weather yesterday was beautiful. Justin and I went to the outdoor mall to walk around in the 65-70 degree sunshine. We picked up fresh steaks on the way home and grilled out. I can't wait for summer! Today it's cold, rainy and windy :(

*We are going to our first Rivermen game in over a month tonight! I am really excited :)

*Grandmpa and Grandma Brooks are coming to visit this weekend. Justin can't wait to have someone new to play with!

Maternity clothes...ugh.

I am having a heck of a time with clothing these days. With Justin, I didn't start showing until around 18-20 weeks and it was pretty warm out, so I could go right to the Old Navy wife beaters with the black 1/2 shirt that ties right above the belly and then black capri gaucho (sp?) pants. Uber comfy. This time around, my belly has been getting larger since around week 7 or 8. Ridiculous! I have lost weight since I found out I was pregnant, but my belly keeps growing daily. I desperately need maternity jeans, but I can't find any that are long enough :( I ordered longs on the Old Navy website and was so excited to get them...only to see that they would only be long enough if I chose to wear my pants like they do in the south side of Peoria. No thanks. I have been wearing yoga pants everywhere and I feel like a slob! I did buy the bella band that you put around your waist so you can unbutton your regular jeans - and that does work if I wear a sweater or sweatshirt, but if I wear anything form fitting at all you can see the seams and tell the pants are unbuttoned.

I am thinking about taking a couple pair of my normal jeans into the seamstress who did my bridesmaid dress for Ryan & Amanda's wedding and see if she can turn them into maternity jeans. Maybe if I bought a pair from Motherhood Maternity of what I want them to look like she could do it?

Or I can just live in Yoga pants until summer comes and I can go back to my standard uniform of the capris and wife beaters :)

Anyone have any suggestions on where they found Tall or Long maternity jeans? Gap has some, but they were out of my size.

Not such a good day :(

Today Justin woke up and said his belly hurt and he felt a little warm, but not too bad. We debated keeping him home from daycare, but within 1/2 hour he was running around, eating and wanting to play hockey so we decided he was fine to go to school. At about 11:30 I got a call from Ericka that he was not feeling well. He had 102.7 temp, runny nose, watery eyes, etc. When I picked him up he just fell into my arms and laid his head down. His doctor's office is closed 11:30-12:45 for lunch, so when we got in the car he fell asleep and I just drove to the doctors office. The director of his daycare said a bunch of kids had strep, so if that was the case I had to get him on meds. I went into the doctor at 12:45 and explained that I didn't have an appt, but could we be squeezed in. The first lady (young girl) said there was no way, so I asked if I could have his records transferred to the office next door that is a pediatric office and has multiple doctors. Then another nurse came and saw how pathetic he looked on my shoulder with his red cheeks and boogery nose and said she'd go talk to the doctor. He was able to squeeze us in. I am not sure how I feel about this doctor. I have no doubt that he's a competent doctor, but he always makes me feel stupid for bringing him in. The first thing they did was the strep test - horrible. I was crying because they had to pin him down to get the throat culture and he was just reaching and crying "mommy help me"... Then the doctor came in and he asked what was wrong. I told him the temp, strep at daycare, etc. He told me that kids Justin's age rarely get strep and that was probably not the issue. Okay - then tell me what is wrong with him! He's got a high fever, does not feel well...oh, and that's right - I'm paying you to tell me what is wrong! He is a doc that hardly ever prescribes antibiotics because he thinks they are over used. Fine, if you tell me that it's just a virus, I'll go home and let it run it's course. He told me that he has a bacterial sinus infection...wtf? I've never heard of that in a 2 year old either. He likes to "prove" points, like he make me undress Justin naked. He was crying and did not want to. The doc kept telling me..."see, this resistance is good" that means he's not as sick as you think. Okay - I get it. Do we really have to keep proving that he's not really THAT sick. I knew I was not bringing him in for a life or death situation; I just want my baby to feel better! I think we might look for a new doctor before the next baby comes. This doc also needs to be scheduled months in advance because he has SO many patients.

Oh - then he told me how we are not giving him enough medication. I follow the chart on the Tylenol and Motrin, but that is only about 2/3 of what he needs apparently. He showed me how to figure out his weight in kg, then there is a formula of how much he needs per kilo. So he sets it up in a proportion and starts to tell me how to find "x" in the scenario so I know how to do it for both meds. Thanks doc; I'm a chemical engineer and I know basic algebra....I just didn't know there was a "magic" formula other than what was on the medications.

So now Justin is home until Wednesday at least, probably Thursday. He did put him on antibiotics, so he won't be contagious at all after 24 hours, but I don't want to send him to school and have him clingy to his teachers when there is a whole classroom of kids to look after. We'll see how he's doing! The good news is he still has tubes in both ears - woohoo!

Good Day :)

Today is good... It's 65 degrees and sunny out. We had a fun morning - shopping, haircuts, McD playland for lunch. Manny Legace is going to be on the Rivermen tomorrow! I am going to see He's Just Not That Into You with Katie tonight.

It would be better if I were outside playing too, but I'm trying to get a job done that is due on Monday. :(

Potty Party!!!!!

Today was Justin's "Potty Party" at school! Each of the kids gets a party to celebrate when they are completely potty trained. Of course, we had the party planned because he didn't have any accidents for over a month - until yesterday when he had two. We just chalked it up to a bad day and he was good today!


Circle time with Ms. Ericka before lunch





Justin with his certificate!





Jocelyn wanted in on the picture and Justin didn't like that - look at the look he's giving her!






That's better - Justin and Daddy....and the Space Buddies movie from Ms. Ericka & Ms. Stephy - thank you so much! He's going to love it :) You guys really need to clone yourselves to go into the 3 year old room AND the Infant room this fall!!!!!






Justin with his movie :)




He would not wear the crown, but he wore it on his belly for a minute :) He's kind of like Blake (his cousin)....he's a goof off and show off at home when it's just us, but he does not like to be the center of attention in a big group.



Justin and his girlfriend Lauren - Love her!



Aaaawww....














Justin and Lauren again - they are together alot! His cubbie was decorated for his special day!

















Getting ready for nap time. Rob and I snuck out when he was putting the CD in for naptime. Ms. Ericka said he fell asleep in less than 5 minutes, so he didn't miss us :)


I love him so much!!!!!




This is outside his room. Not the best picture of him, but I like how so many of his quotes involve hockey! He wants to name the baby "ice skates".... might be better than Papa's suggestion of Ursela :)




Have a great weekend!!!!

The Hills 2-3-09

Here are some random pictures from the last couple of weeks! In no particular order becuase I'm too lazy to rearrange them :)








Justin with Bella - Sandy's cat. That poor cat. Justin loves it...carrying it in a head lock, petting it ALL of the time, etc.

Justin has learned how to play Wii and he loves it. He can bowl by himself, play golf, tennis and baseball. We do this for about an hour every night!

He's not bad either! Justin is in red and Rob is in blue. That 116 is all on his own too!

Papa and Justin down by the riverfront

Papa and his little buddy! Justin loved having him here. He had a meltdown when we dropped him off at the airport...."I want to go with Papa" over and over which of course made me cry :( He slept with Papa everynight he was here. I'm not sure if Papa got much sleep with a little wiggle-butt!

Taking our "crew" out to BW's on Saturday night after the house was painted!

Our "new" house :)

Our house has been such a mess for the last month! Since we found out that we are having another baby, we had to decide what to do with our bedroom situation. We have 2 bedrooms and a loft upstairs and the "master" is downstairs off of the kitchen. We have been using the master for a toy room since we moved in. I don't really want to be on a separate floor from the kids, but I don't want Justin down there alone either. So we decided to use our Christmas money and gift cards and close off the loft to make another bedroom upstairs. Katie's husband Josh and Rob worked so hard on it and it turned out GREAT!!! The first project was running duct work up to the loft since there was no register in there. That involved tearing up the drywall in our dining room to get it to the upstairs. Between that and the drywall of the actual new wall, that was a LOT of drywall dust. Ugh. I am still finding it in places. Josh used to do drywall in the summers with his dad and it shows....he did such a good job - thank you SO much!!!

Then last Thursday my dad and Uncle Tom came in from Vegas and Kalamazoo to paint our house! They did not know about the loft project because they didn't know we were having a baby! We wanted to keep it a secret until we went to Vegas in March, but I'm glad it's out. I felt like I couldn't talk to my mom becuase I was going to slip up and spill it :) Justin had his big brother shirt on when we picked my dad up at the airport. I think it went over his head at first, but then he got it!

They did an amazing job on our house! It looks so good!!! Our house was all a yellow color with the trim the same as the walls. Now we have white trim, freshly painted ceilings and beige walls with accent walls in milk chocolate. We had a little problem with the paint. Katie and I picked out perfect colors - I loved them! Then on Friday I came home from work early and they had just started painting the kitchen.....it was a hideous purple hue. Not at all what my color sample showed. So Tom and I headed to Lowes and they "color corrected" it. The sample the guy showed me matched the sample but when we got home I still don't think it's exactly the same as the chip. Oh well - it still looks good! Thank you so much Dad and Uncle Tom!!!! And to Katie and Josh for babysitting Friday night so we could keep working!





Josh sanding the wall













The wall primed and ready for paint

Dad and Uncle Tom

This is the part that Justin "helped" on. When Katie and Josh came over to see the finished product, he took them right over there and said "I painted this - it looks great" :) So cute!

Ignore the mess in the next pictures!

The finished dining room (we need to get a new sliding glass door in the spring and we'll get white. The bottom of the door is rotting.... )

The beige and then the chocolate color going up the stairs (under the stairs is the same dark color - it looks lighter here)

The new and improved wall :)

Front window and door