Friday, December 28, 2007

Holy ZITS, Batman!!!

Well, good news is my test results came back and were all negative for gallstones! Yay! They said that the baby went through a "growth spurt" this week and my ribs must have expanded at an unusually fast rate, hence the pain I am feeling. So, no surgery! Woo hoo!
Unfortunately, all the stress has caused approximately 7 huge zits on my face!!! For those of you that know me really well, you know I am obsessive compulsive with zits. Not only for those that are on my own face, but for zits that are on other people's faces, too. What is it about them that drives me nuts!!!??
My nephew had one during Christmas that was "fully primed" and I HAD to pop it!!! I couldn't stand looking at it! I got "the shakes" and everything! I know, weird. It's totally not a pregancy thing, either. I've pretty much been like this my entire life. I keep telling my husband that I should have become a dermatologist!
Oh, well. A little late now!
I can't believe I have a mere 13 weeks left of this pregnancy! I know for some of you that sounds like a really long time away, still, but for me, when you start off with 40 weeks, it really isn't a lot of time left!
Eddie and my father-in-law are putting up the border in the baby's room today. Fingers crossed is all I've got to say. My husband's never done anything like this before, so when I get off work, I'll take some pictures of it and post it.
Well, I'll be at work yet again on New Years Eve, so I'll probably post then also.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful New Years :)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

So, who is sad right now? THIS GIRL!!!!!

I'll post all about Christmas later, because I've got some cute pictures, but I'm at work right now :( Which brings me to the title of my post....I WANT TO GO HOME!!!!!
Additionally, I now know for a FACT that this is absolutely the very last child I am having! Really. Can anything else go wrong??
The doctor thinks I have gallstones, so I'm going tonight for an ultrasound and if they are present....let's hear it for surgery! yay! (sarcastic)
The most miserable part of this is I can't eat or drink anything for eight hours! Of course there is food everywhere here and I'm starving!!!
Ugh....this stinks.
Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I'll keep you posted!
God Bless :)

Friday, December 21, 2007

Not Enough Hours In The Day

Well, we are supposed to go to Lynchburg after work today and I am NOT ready! I think I have an ear infection, so now I have to go to the doctor at 3pm. We ran out of tape while wrapping presents last night, so we will be wrapping when we get there (trashy, I know). Some of our clothes are still in the dryer, so no, we are not finished packing. And as I was going through my present "inventory", I noticed that I had not gotten my dad or brother-in-law anything! Also, somewhere along the way, I have to pick up a Webkinz for my niece. Can you say CRAZY?!
Oooh...also...yesterday I had the BEST carrot cake in the entire world! It's from this little natural grocery store here in Richmond called Ellwood Thompsons. The cool thing about it, is that is was vegan! I would LOVE to become a vegan! I just love chocolate and cheese too much, though! Maybe I'll start with just cutting out meat. Well, I can say that any change in my eating habit will definitely have to wait until after I have my baby. I had a dream last night that I gave birth to him and he weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces! Yikes! Alex was only 6 pounds, 9 ounces when she was born! Today I feel like he is playing with my rib cage as if they were a set of monkey bars! I'm curious just how big my little man is!
Well, I probably won't have another opportunity to blog because you know how my parents computer is! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas :)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Ok, I HAVE to say something!

I don't know why everyone is so shocked that Britney Spears 16-year old little sister, Jaime Spears, is pregnant. The girl is 16 years old and her mother ALLOWS her to LIVE with her 19 year old boyfriend! It makes me so mad that they claim to be such great christians, yet, totally justify that living situation! Isn't that illegal anyways??! Then, you have all of the liberals going on "the air" (tv, radio...etc) insinuating (sp?) that that is SO typical of "those" christians!
I can't even IMAGINE living with my boyfriend (at the time) when I was 16 years old! Are you kidding me??! It just goes to show that when parents make poor choices with their children and set absolutely no boundaries, this is what happens. I'm not saying that kids don't go off and sneak out and do things they shouldn't, but when a parent doesn't set any rules or even show their kids what "morals" are, how are the kids supposed to ever feel this is wrong in the first place?? It just makes me so sick. And that's all I've got to say about that.
Onto me. I went to the doctor today and waited almost an hour to see the doctor. I've never had to wait so long! When the doctor came in, she seemed in a hurry and said that another patient came in before me for their monthly check up, (and not mentioning anything specific), and now she has to perform and emergency C-Section. So, of course I felt too guilty to ask her any questions because I didn't want to hold up the emergency C-Section patient! So, she quickly measured my belly, listened to heartbeat...etc. and she said that everything was "perfect"! Who knows if it really is "perfect", because she might have just said that so that I wouldn't ask any questions so she could get the "H out of dodge". So, my next appointment is Jan. 8th and that's the big one. I keep praying that ultrasound will show that my boy's cyst is gone.
On Friday night, we are off to the 'burg. We are going to do Christmas with my parents and sisters, then on Christmas Eve we are coming back to Richmond to do Christmas with my sister-in-law and Eddie's parents.
Just when I think the chaos is over, I have a client coming in for a site inspection of Richmond on 12/27 and I have to show him all around and stuff. Normally, that is really fun, but I am starting to get into that uncomfortable phase of pregnancy and I'm not going to be up to all that walking in the freezing cold! Oh well!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Serenity Now!

I am soooo happy this weekend is over! Woohooo!!!! It started on Friday night and my parents came into town. I'm so glad they stayed until Sunday! I don't think I could have survived the weekend without them! Alex went to a friends birthday party on Friday, so that wasn't so bad. I was able to wrap a couple of Alex's presents and pick up the cake while she was there. Her room was a MESS, and I normally make her clean it, but since it was her birthday, she spent the night with my parents at the hotel and Eddie and I cleaned her room. The next morning my parents, niece and Alex came over with Alex's newest present. A brand new bike! She was VERY excited! Then, the party started at 11am. Only 9 girls RSVP'd, yet somehow 14 girls showed up! My house is not big at all, but we made it work! I had a feeling this would happen because this happened last year, so I made up 15 giveaways just in case! Here are all the girls (well, not all, they wouldn't all fit in the camera) in Alex's room--yea...the one Eddie and I cleaned up the night before.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Then we had cake - Can't you tell how "thrilled" Alex's little friend is in the background?! They were all sooo tired because I took them outside to play some kickball! And I'm just NOW noticing there are only 9 candles on her birthday cake and not ten...or ten plus one for good luck! I don't even know who put the candles on there in the first place! That's how crazy it was!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Then it was off to another girls birthday party right after ours!
My dog is really smelly and I didn't feel like fighting him to give him a bath, so my husband brought the dog up front (he's not allowed to walk on the carpet) and I took him to Petco and now he smells like Gingerbread Vanilla :)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

It's always quiet before the storm......

This weekend is going to be yet another crazy one. The 'rents are coming in on Friday night and staying until Sunday. They are coming in for Alex's 10th birthday. I just have so much to prepare for! Get this...Alex has a birthday party to go to on Friday night, her own party on Saturday at 11am, then another birthday at 2pm! Of course, I'm not letting her stay for very long at all the parties (except her own, of course) because family is in town, but this is just nuts! What were all of us moms thinking in April 1997??!!
Anyhow, since she is the big "1-0" now, we are trying to make it really special. Last year we hired Fire Spinners to come and spin fire, so that is really hard to top! Eddie and I were going to take the girls to the baseball park behind our house and get a big game of kickball going, but the outlook for weather does not look good. So, now i have no idea! I'm totally open to ideas at this point, so if you have any, please let me know! I'm thinking of having the girls do some sort of really cool craft, but can't think of one. The mom at one of the other parties told me she is going to have the girls do tie-dye shirts and glass bead necklaces. So, of course I want to do something better than that! When did b-day parties become so competitive, anyways??!!
Instead of doing "goodie bags" for her birthday, we had Alex compile a list of her "top 10" favorite songs and we will be burning those onto cd's for all the girls. "Alex's top ten for her tenth b-day cd".
Whew...her birthday WEARS ME OUT every year!!! It's worth it, though!
Nothing new to report on the pregnancy. I have a doctor appt next Wednesday, then an Ultrasound on Jan. 8th.
We found an AWESOME deal on a Peg-Perego high chair this week and couldn't pass it up! We love it because it has a TON of really awesome features and Eddie loves it because it doesn't look "baby-ish" and it's leather. Here's a picture, although it doesn't do it justice!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Monday, December 10, 2007

Oh, the pain!

So, as if I'm not uncomfortable enough, I did something to my arm this weekend and now I have tendinitis in my right arm. It hurts soooooo bad! I took off work today because I just can't sleep at night and I don't want to use my arm that much and I know that if I go to work, I'll just suck it up and use it and then pay for it even more tonight. I had promised Alex we would make homemade cookies this weekend, so we did, but I couldn't stir anything. She did all of the work! She's such a little Rachael Ray! For Christmas, all she wants is this 100 piece Betty Crocker cake decorating set she saw on an infomercial on tv. No toys or dolls...she's "too big" for that.
I had such a "pregnancy moment" today. I had to go to the grocery store to order Alex's birthday cake for this weekend and as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, I decided to call Eddie to see if there was anything else we needed. I went to reach for my cell phone, only to realize that I brought my house phone with me and left my cell phone at home. YEAAAA......I can't say that kind of stuff rarely happens to me, but since I've become pregnant, it happens frequently. I can't believe I've only got 3 months and 3 weeks left! I hope the rest of this pregnancy flies by as quickly as it has thus far. That would be awesome!!!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

When Mom's Away............

I woke up this morning with a POUNDING headache, so I didn't get to accomplish as much as I wanted to today. Looks like I'll be ordering the cd from the church service to catch up! After a cup of coffee, shower and food I felt quite a bit better.
I knew I had to create my Target registry or else it wouldn't get done. I just don't have the time! So, I think Eddie pretty much got his fill of baby registries at Babies R Us, so I went at this one alone. I also had to buy some things for Alex's birthday, so she stayed home with dad, too.
Well, while I was out, Alex and Eddie decided to bake some Christmas cookies. My poor husband really does try. Well......when I got home, I looked in the kitchen at their attempt to make cookies and here was the charred result...there are no camera tricks here...they really looked like this...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
So, my husband felt really bad so we went to the store and bought more ingredients and came home and I helped Alex make Christmas cookies. Here was our result....
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
I always remembered making Christmas cookies with my mom every year. It was so much fun! She used to always scold me for eating too much raw dough, but it was sooooo good!
Well, I hope this week goes by fast!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Exciting Day

Well, today I woke up and got to The Children's Orchard a little early (like 10 minutes before it openend). Well, there was already a line waiting! I made it to
4th in line and by the time the store opened, there was about 15 people behind me! Craziness! Well, I stuffed 2 bags FULL of clothes! Unfortunately, the bags they gave us were only about 6 inches tall and 5 inches wide, so I had to be really creative and ROLL the clothes up like hot dogs and shove them in there! I ended up getting 7 outfits in each bag! My closet is a LOT fuller now and here are just a couple of my favorite outfits!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Also, today we finally finished our registry at Babies R Us, but we still have Target to go. I guess we'll do that tomorrow.
We came back home and wanted to go to a house in our neighborhood that goes ALL OUT during Christmas! We decided to make some hot chocolate to go, bundle up and bring the dog and walk there. It's only 3 blocks away and the weather was nice and crisp. Here is a picture of Eddie and I...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
And here's Alex and Eddie....ignore his face...apparently he wasn't "ready"...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Friday, November 30, 2007

TGIF

Well, today I worked the "early shift" (7am-3pm) so that I could get out early and work with my daughter's Girl Scout troop. Today we made cookies and decorated them for when we go caroling at the nursing home next week. I hope the cookies keep for a week! Well, I get there late (which was planned) because school gets out at 2:15 and by the time I get there, all of the girls were good and "sugar'd up"! They were soooooo hyper!!!! I helped the other moms get them back to down to a somewhat quieter level, but holy cow! It was so crazy, I forgot to take pictures! I am so mad! I brought my camera and everything! Oh, well.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to this place called The Children's Orchard here in Richmond and they are having a "fill-a-bag" event. For only $5, you fill the bag with as many clothes as possible. Luckily, I am only shopping for my little guy, so I can REALLY cram those clothes in there!
So far, I've gotten some really great deals there. I kind of knew I was having a boy before we officially found out because his heartbeat was low. I know it's an old wives tale, but I took a chance and it worked out! Here are a couple of my favorites. Mind you, I didn't pay more than $4.00 for anything!
This was $2.00 - "Little Bear"! I can't wait to see him in it!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
This is from The Children's Place. This was my big $4.00 "splurge"! I hope he doesn't look to "girly" in it. It's light green with peas on it! 5 Pieces all together, including a bib! Not a bad deal if I do say so myself :)
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
This is my collection of clothes for him up to today. I will definitely be growing tomorrow!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Who to vote for??

So, did anyone watch the Republican debate last night? It was really good! Very eye opening, that's for sure! I went into watching the debate a Guiliani fan, yet, somehow when the debate was over, came out a Huckabee fan. So, I have no idea who I'm voting for, now! I still have quite sometime to think about it, but I really like Huckabee!
Anyhow, on a separate note, since we are not telling anyone what we are naming our son, it's driving Alex nuts. She absolutely can NOT keep a secret (i.e. telling Rebecca I was pregnant when I was only like 9 or 10 weeks along), so we can't tell her, either. So, she's been bugging me and bugging me about it. Finally, last night she pulled the "If you don't tell me, then you don't love me" card. So, thinking quickly, I told her we were naming him Carl, after my grandfather on my mothers side (totally not true, but it keeps her quiet). She was like "CARL????!!....Like the nerd on Jimmy Neutron????!!!" Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket I just said yes, it is a family name and that's the name we like. So, obviously not thinking about my consequences, Alex goes to school and tells her teacher, friends...etc. that her little baby brother is going to be named Carl. Carl Rivera. Yea...that "flows".
So, tomorrow I am doing a Girl Scout project with her and the troop again and all the moms will be there and I know they are going to be all fake and like "Carl....that's a um....nice name". This should be interesting! I'll keep you posted on how that goes!
Aside from Christmas coming up, I have to plan Alex's birthday. She wanted to go to Great Wolf Lodge and I was all on board until I found out they charge a mere $400 per night! I could buy this child a Playstation 3 PLUS games for that amount! So, looks like we are doing an old school birthday party at the house. Ugh....holidays are extra stressful for me because of her birthday, too! Oh, well :)
I'll keep you all posted on the fun adventures of my life!

Monday, November 26, 2007

My son just loves me!

Well, I've got GREAT news! Thank you so much for your prayers! God is so good!
We just got home from the High Risk Dr.'s office and my baby boy has no other signs that would even remotely indicate Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18). His little cyst was so tiny, it took the U/S tech AND the doctor 45 minutes just to find it! He said he sees this all the time and in his many years of practice, he has NEVER come across a case where a cyst like this has not resolved on it's own before birth. My regular doctor told me the same thing, so I'm feeling really good right now :) It was so funny, during the U/S, the doctor started laughing and pointed out that my baby boy was "playing" with his "boy parts"! It was great!
Here is my son telling me he loves me! The first one is his profile and the second one is of him signing to me!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Eddie and I felt so great afterwards, we started our registry at Babies R Us. Thinking that it wouldn't take us very long, we only had an hour, but had to leave to go get Alex from daycare, so our registry only has like 10 things on it! The bright side is, we picked out the crib set and accessories (which is what I was stressing the most about). I love pirates (which was my original theme), but the only pirate crib set I could find was too busy and just wouldn't look right in his room. So, looks like we are going with sail boats! Here is what it looks like...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My next appointment is Dec. 19th, although no ultrasound will take place. The next Ultrasound is on January 8th, which is when they will hopefully confirm the cyst has gone away.

The Little Train That.........

Well, today I go to the High Risk dr. to see if there are any other indicators of Trisomy 18. As I was looking over his beautiful ultrasound pictures from Friday's appt., I noticed his hand was in the "I love you" position. You know ..... the pointer and middle finger down. I thought that was really sweet and everytime I look at it I cry. As soon as I set up my scanner, I'll scan it and post it. That same picture has also brought lots of stress to me. When the baby's hand is in that position, that could also be another indication of Trisomy 18. Gosh....just please pray for my little guy. I can't sleep, eat or concentrate on anything. I've never prayed so much in my life! My appt. today is at 2:30, so I'm trying to keep myself busy. I have off today, so I'll be cleaning up the house from this weekends Christmas decorating.
I found this old train set that I bought at a yard sale last year for $1. Eddie wanted to put it together. Now I know why it was $1. Most of the train is broken and some of the rail was missing. Eddie wanted to put it together anyways and he is REALLY proud of it. Isn't it a hoot?
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

For those of you who don't have kids, well, enjoy your Martha Stewart Christmas tree while you can! Ours is a little better this year than in years past. I tried to get away with all white lights this year, but Alex really wanted the liquid bubble lights on there! She also helped decorate! Not too bad, actaully.....
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Also, for Thanksgiving, (actually, the day after Thanksgiving) we were in Lynchburg, so the ENTIRE family (had to take 2 cars) went up to LU to visit Jerry Falwell's gravesite. I don't think it's 100% done yet, but you can tell it will be beautiful when it's finished. He has done so much for little 'ole Lynchburg and for so many people across the world. One can only hope that we can all leave some sort of amazing mark on this world when we leave.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I'll keep you posted after the appt. If all goes well, we will be registering at stores afterwards. We were supposed to do that this morning, but we didn't want to register, then find out bad news. Keep the prayers coming......

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Happy and Sad :(

First off...sorry I wasn't able to post earlier. A combination of really bad news and being rushed to pick up my uncle and drive to Lynchburg made it virtually impossible to post. My mom's dial up is horrible and I would have been on there hours compared to the few minutes it takes me here.
I'll start off with the good news....Eddie and I are having a BOY!!!! We are very excited! We have a name picked out, but aren't telling anyone until after he is born :)
Ok...the bad news...After being in the doctors office an hour longer than expected on Wednesday, the doctor came in to tell us that our baby boy has a Choroid Plexus Cyst on his brain. Basically, this is an indication of a disease called Trisomy 18. This disease is "not compatable with life" (That was the exact usage of words from the doctor)..basically, if our son has this disease, he will not survive outside of the womb. We are having a more detailed, specialized ultrasound on Monday that will look for other indicators. They say this cyst is present in 1-2% of all pregnancies and usually will dissolve and go away on it's own. There's nothing we can do but wait and pray at this point.
I have never been more scared in my life and at a time like this, I should be happy and celebrating, but I just can't seem to bring myself to do that :(

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The anxiety is killing me!!!

So, I get to work at 7am today, knowing that I have to leave at 2:45 in order to make my Dr. appt. So, the rest of the crew comes in around 8:30. The boss just ran around to everyone's offices and told us he is closing the office at 2pm today. So, I got to work early for nothing. Oh well.
Only 2 hours and 15 minutes left until I find out. Ugh.....crazy. I just ate some chicken and mac-n-cheese and this little baby is going crazy. He/she either really loves it or really hates it!
I will have a few minutes to post from my own house before we leave Richmond. So I won't have to fight with my mom's dial-up computer! Yay!
Well, more to come :) .........................................

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Oh, boy...or girl?!

So, today is the last day (hopefully) of guessing what is in my belly. I am so excited to find out tomorrow! That's pretty much the only exciting news I have today, really.
My mother-in-law was rushed to the ER for a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia. It's very painful, but not life-threatening, thank God. Eddie and I were just kind of waiting by the phone last night to see what was wrong, so we are somewhat relieved. No one ever wants to wait by the phone to hear news of why their parent is hospitalized.
On a different note, we were supposed to have a sales meeting today. I have been dreading this meeting for at least 2 weeks. Last night I just prayed and prayed that my boss wouldn't point fingers and try to publicly humiliate me and loe and behold, the meeting was cancelled last minute :)
Tomorrow will be busy, but I will try to get on here to let everyone know what went on at the appt. My mom's computer is dial-up (old-school, I know) and super slow, but I'll do what I can with it!
If for some reason I can't log on, everyone have a great Thanksgiving and remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving...no wait...that's Christmas. Gorge yourself!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Hurry Up Wednesday!!!!!

It's been about a week since I have been able to blog! I've been crazy busy!
St. Louis was "OK" at best. There was a huge metal arch...."Gateway to the West"...woohoo. I took a picture from my hotel room for you....
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

As soon as I got back it was catch-up time at work and next thing you know....here it is...Saturday! I want Wednesday to get here sooooo bad! Not only is it the last day of work before Thanksgiving, but it is when we find out if we are having a boy or girl - Providing the baby cooperates :)
If we find out, we will register on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It's pretty much the only day I can do it! I am not even going to try to register on a weekend or weeknight during the holidays!
Also, I have this killer recipe for the best, spicy fall cookies you will ever have. Seriously, if loving these cookies are wrong, I DON'T WANNA BE RIGHT! Aside from my sweet skills of capturing these little morsels on my camera, I have posted the recipe for them. If you have any spare time at all and you want a little bit of heaven here on earth.....trust me....try them!!!!

CHOCOLATE-GINGERBREAD HUGS
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3 squares (1 oz. each) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I used semisweet)
2 Tbsp unsalted stick butter
1 box/bag mixture of Betty Crocker gingerbread cookie mix
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup hot water
30 Hershey's Hugs, unwrapped

1. Heat oven 375 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave (usually about 2 mins.) Stir until blended and smooth.
2. Stir gingerbread mix, chocolate mixture, flour and hot water in large bowl with a rubber spatula until blended.
3. Put sugar in a small bowl. With floured hands, shape dough into small balls (about 1 inch), roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 minutes (until tops crack slighly but are still soft to the touch.
5. Place baking sheet on a wire rack. Immediately press a Hug in center of each cookie. Transfer cookies from baking sheet to rack to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Craziness!

Wow! I can't believe I got through this weekend AND survived! First of all, the reason why my blog is so easy to read a senior citizen could read it from a mile away, is because my pictures kept getting cut off. This is the only template I could find where it didn't cutt off my pictures! I'll change it back to normal sometime next week or so.
Anyhow, on with my weekend. It started Friday with Girl Scouts. We volunteered at a local organization called Sargeant Santa. This organization does no advertizing at all whatsoever, but is driven by word-of-mouth and donations alone. Santa is a retired Sargeant and he collects donations and dresses up as Santa and delivers them to local families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The "workshop" is not in the best part of town and believe me, all the girls were talking about it! It made me wonder......I think my daughter is just a little too comfortable with her life. By this I mean that I don't think she truly appreciates what she has. There are soooo many local families that are so poor, that they would be so thankful for just a used, rusty old bike for Christmas. What does my daughter want? An iPod. Of course she is not getting it, but it's these kind of situations that really make me think - What can I do as a parent to make sure that she is aware of families like this and try to educate her on how to help them? I think the Sargeant Santa was a start, but I feel like, as Christians especially, that we should be doing more. Anyhow, that's my random thought for the day. Here are a few pictures from the Sgt. Santa Girl Scouts trip.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
they stuffed baggies full of girl scout cookies for the poor-
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Here they are with Sgt. Santa-
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Then, it was off to the race on Saturday. I would have loved to have done the 8k, but my doctor suggested against it. I did the 10k in April with my dad and it was awesome!
Alex ran with her running club from school. They had special lime green shirts on so they were easy to spot! Here they are getting a prep talk from Miss Tracey before the race!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
I am one proud momma! My little girl made the Richmond Times Dispatch! Question is....can YOU find her??
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Here's Alex at the start of the race....it was like 35 degrees outside!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
After the race was over, Alex got a little r&r and after she received her medal, a street vendor selling flowers gave her a carnation, then a clown painted her face. We all had such a great time!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Tomorrow I'm off to St. Louis, Missouri. I'll be back LATE Wednesday night, so I'll try to blog while I'm there!

Friday, November 9, 2007

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

This weekend is going to be crazy!
Today at 3pm, I am working with Alexandra and her Girl Scout troop as we go to Sergeant Santa's workshop and volunteer to put goodie bags together for them. I never did Girl Scouts as a kid, because well...honestly...if you did Girl Scouts, then you were a nerd. So, of course, I didn't do it! I am so sorry I missed out that opportunity because Alex has just learned so much from it! The troop always volunteers at places, goes camping and learns how to do things that I would not even think to teach her! Like, starting a fire, the proper way to ride a horse....etc.
My daughter has such a big heart. She loves helping people! For instance, last weekend was my Uncle Fred's birthday. My family took him shopping at the mall for new clothes. My daughter always feels like she has to take care of him and hold his hand and things like that. My uncle was in a car accident around 40 years ago and he lost the use of his right arm and he is not able to walk normal or talk normal. He is "all there" and totally self sufficient, but just a little slower than other people. I posted a picture of him below with a GIANT bowl of watermelon balls).
Anyhow, I guess my point is, is that when I look back at myself in 4th grade, I never cared about people like that. Alex wants to volunteer at a nursing home down the street from our house. I really think she is going to be a nurse when she grows up! She is so into that stuff!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Also, tomorrow we get to wake up at the crack of dawn and watch Alex run the Richmond Times Dispatch Kids Marathon! I am excited to see her run, HOWEVER,
it's frickin' freezin' Mr. Bigglesworth!!!! We have to park blocks and blocks away and downtown Richmond is all downhill, so of course when the race is over, it's all uphill back to the car!
Of course, I'll be posting some pictures of my adventures this weekend. In the meantime, here is a picture of Alex at the race two years ago. Precious :)
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Down with pantyhose!

I'm not really a fan of pantyhose or tights, but now that the cold weather is here, I really have no choice but to wear them. On church on Sunday, I thought I could get away with wearing my regular old tights. Well, on the way to church, I almost passed out, so I ripped my tights at the top (Hulk-style) and the whole time my daughter is just looking at me like I'm crazy. Eddie had already gotten to church early because he does the media stuff. So, here I am driving my car and multitasking the tights and driving. I'm so glad there was not a camera around, although-that would have been a pretty funny picture. So, today on my lunchbreak, I ran to Mimi Maternity and forked out the $10 for maternity tights.
By the way, I am soooooo glad tomorrow is Friday. There's just something about Fridays that I love! They go by so quick, I guess!
I find out what baby Rivera is in exactly 13 more days! I constantly go back and forth between boy/girl. I really don't prefer one over the other, but I try to imagine my family with a boy...then imagine it with another girl. It's really hard to grasp that my small family of 3 that has been going strong for 10 years now is going to be bigger! As Kramer would say "I'm freakin' out,Jerry!!"
Lately, I've been obsessed with this show on the Discovery Channel "Mysteries of the Bible". It's like I can't get enough!!! Do they sell a dvd set??!! I've seen episodes here and there in the past, but now, I'm just REALLY into it! I find myself challenging the scholars that are on that show! Eddie really likes it, too!
Another show that they have is "Pregnancy for Dummies". Yes, it's a show, not a book! Although, they do have the book, but I'm so not investing any money in it.
Since Eddie has never been through this before, I watch it with him and laugh. He asks questions like "Well, that doesn't happen to you....does that mean there is something wrong" and things like that. I laugh because there are so many weird old wives tales out there that people still believe in! The weirdest one they mentioned on the show was "If a pregnant woman sees something horrible or ugly, her baby will be ugly".....um.....yeeeeaaaahhh.
Every day Eddie talks into my bellybutton (like it's a microphone) and talks to the baby. It's pretty funny. Now Alex is doing it. When my parents try to do it, THAT'S where I draw the line!!!!!
Anyhow, gotta get, but I'll post more later!!!!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Finally some pictures!

Well, we finally found the dock to our digital camera, so I'm posting some long overdue pictures up here today. I'm feeling slighly under the weather today and I had some really bad indigestion last night (I know, TMI!!!) so I had NO sleep! I also have a parent/teacher conference at 3:30 today (not because Alex is in trouble, it's just that time of year again when all parents meet with the teachers). So, I'm taking it easy and staying home. The baby movement is getting stronger, which is really neat! I'm also very emotional! I am NOT an emotional person, but I found myself crying in my car the other day to an NSYNC song "God must have spent a little more time on you". Also, I was crying my eyes out last night on Desperate Housewives when Danielle had her baby. This is getting ridiculous!!!
ANYhow, this first picture is of my mother-in-law when we told her I was pregnant-hilarious! The other three are of Alex at Halloween. GOOD TIMES!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

This one is of our skilled Hollywood make-up effects of a pencil going through Alex's hand! Ha!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Friday, November 2, 2007

Oh, baby!

Is it just me, or does that baby over there to the left look HUGE today??!!! I am feeling movement more frequently, so that is really comforting. I only have 19 days to go until I find out if it's a boy or a girl!!! I am so excited!!! Alex is going to come with us when we find out. She is really excited for "her baby" to get here as well :)
They have this whole organized pregnancy planner that your supposed to go by. It states that you should start working on the nursery at 28 weeks. Well, I'm in my 18th week right now and I can't even imagine starting to work on the nursery in 10 more weeks!
I'm going to St. Louis, MO November 12-15, then Thanksgiving, then Alex's birthday, Christmas, New Years, going to Seattle Jan 13-17...so...when exactly am I supposed to work on the nursery again? I hope all of these things keep me so busy that this pregnancy just flies by! I can't wait to meet this baby!
Eddie and I are taking Nov. 26th off to register at Babies R Us and Target. Of course, Alex will be coming with us as well. She's pretty much got everything picked out already!
It's so funny-not so much "ha ha funny"- but I digress...It's funny how different this pregancy is from my last one with Alex. When I was pregnant with her, I was abandoned by her father, shunned and looked down upon by several people in my community, talked about and I felt like I had to be ashamed by my pregnancy. I never had the opportunity to have a nursery and decorate it. It was just a very hard time for me personally and as I compare that pregnancy with this one, well, there is no comparison really. I have a wonderful husband who spoils me rotten and drives to the store at 11pm and buys me whatever I'm craving. I have a best friend in my daughter who I can talk to about anything and even if she doesn't understand, she pretends to. I have a house with a bedroom that will be the nursery for this baby. And I have a church that I love and truly feel a part of.
Oh, also, for your viewing pleasure, I have attached two pictures of my grand-nephews. I guess that what you call them. My niece Sara and my nephew Keith each have a baby. And the last one....well...I just thought it was funny. It was on Perez Hilton's website. Random. I know.
The first one is Sara and her baby, Schuyler on his first birthday. The one below that is Keith's baby, Caleb.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Thursday, October 25, 2007

A weekend alone!

Well, this weekend Alex is going camping, so our house will be quiet and sad. I always get so depressed when Alex goes to someone's house to sleep over or when she goes to Grandma's or goes camping :( Most parents get excited when their kids go away so that they can do "grown up things". I never have ever felt that way, though. I just get so depressed! She is my best friend and we do everything together. Ugh....I guess this will give Eddie and I a chance to go see a rated "R" movie or something. Maybe we will go to that Ben and Jerry's Rebecca was talking about!
I am on the drama team at church and I just recently found out that one of our drama video's won a competition! You have to understand the story behind it, though. We did this video at the Capitol One building and there was a huge thunderstorm and the electricity went out. It was soooo hot and I was just feeling horrible because I had just found out I was pregnant (of course I hadn't told anyone at this point). It ended up taking two days to shoot...anyways...you get the idea. We thought it would be a disaster. Well, I guess it ended up turning out out pretty good!
Here is the link to view the video...Enjoy! http://www.gacc-impact.com/videos/dailyinventory.htm

Monday, October 22, 2007

Baby Got Bible

I'm sorry...I just HAD to post!!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The latest

Oh my gosh!!! You wouldn't believe all the cool baby stuff they have out there now!!! I was online last night perusing BabiesRUs.com and it's amazing what progress is made in baby conveniences in 10 years!!! They have this thing you plug into a wall and it sanitizes all your bottles, pacifiers...etc. in 30 minutes! Amazing! There's also this multi-functional swing that you can take apart and it can be a baby bouncer and a carrier! Don't even get me started on the diapers! Eddie and I have decided to go non-traditional with the diapers. We are going to be using G-diapers. They are really good for the environment. Did you know that a regular diaper takes over 500 years to decompose? I am so not cool with contributing to that! G-Diapers are actually flushable diapers, but if you are leery about flushing them, you may certainly just throw them away. They will entirely decompose in 150 days! They look more like giant maxi pads that fit into this cute little plastic diaper cover. The website is www.gdiapers.com . They are even less expensive than regular diapers (except the diaper cover, but you only need to purchase 2 and they last forever). I had them send me a sample because it sounded too good to be true. These things are awesome!
I'm getting really excited about having this baby, now. I'm going to find out what the sex is on November 21st (day before Thanksgiving). I'm 50% sure it's a boy.
Anyhow, that's all I have for now! My next Dr. appt. is Oct. 22nd, so keep us in your prayers :)
Here is how you dispose the G-Diapers if you wanted to flush them:

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Finally, a minute (literally) to blog!

Sorry I haven't got my blog on in a while, but I have been really busy and not had access to a computer! Well, I went to Chicago last week and came back late Thursday. Started moving on Friday and didn't stop until yesterday! It took so much longer than we thought because I can't lift anything heavy. We just got our internet hooked up today at the house and we couldn't be happier! I think my husband is really excited because we signed up for the Verizon Fios (the fiber-optic cable). He called me and was just really, really, really excited about the quality of picture you get. Whatever. I still can't tell the difference between the quality of a vhs and a dvd!!
Exciting news...I felt the baby move day before yesterday! It's been so long since I've felt that! Other than that, I really have nothing new! Kinda boring, huh?
Well, that's all for now!!!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Hooray for Friday!

I am sooo glad it's Friday!
Last night Ugly Betty was on (one of my all time favorite shows) and I just cried my eyes out! The ending was so sad :(
I hope they never do that again! I also caught my other favorite shows, The Office. We have ALL worked someplace like that, before! I am so glad Pam and Jim are finally a couple!!! About time!!!!
This weekend (starting tonight) is going to be crazy for me! When I get out of work, I am running to Alex's school to decorate the cafeteria bulletin board. Then pick up Alex and go to CVS to get signs, make them and hang up everywhere to promote our yard sale tomorrow. Then, run home and finish getting the rest of our junk together for the yard sale. This weekend we need to finish up packing. Then, I have to pack for Chicago because I leave on Tuesday. I get back on Thursday. Whew! I need a nap just thinking about it!
I just got a call from Alex at school. I hate it when she calls me during school hours. The first words out my mouth are always "What did you do"? But, she just forgot her lunch today. Eddie took her to school, so I guess neither one of them saw her lunch box that I packed and strategically placed right next to her backpack. So, he will be making a little trip to school this afternoon with her lunch. Oh, the joys of parenthood!
I'm officially NOT fitting in any of my regular clothes anymore. Yet, I'm no where near big enough to fit in maternity clothes! I can't stand this awkward stage! I don't remember showing this early with Alex, but I guess they say you show earlier with your second child.
Oh, on a random note, I have to tell you about the after school enrichment program at Alex's school. They send home these papers asking you to sign your child up for this program (not mandatory, but you know how west end moms are...if you don't sign your kid up for something, they will gossip about you and how you don't love your child and how you must be poor because you can't afford this program). There are different things your kids can do...like Mad Science Lab (they do really cool science projects), Vets and Pets (self explanitory), Running Club (they create a team and run in the Times Dispatch 1K in November and practice after school)....etc. Well, Alex wanted to do the Running Club. By the way, you have to pay for this. The Running Club was $30, but some of them, like Vets and Pets were $75. So, you can't just fill out the form and send in the $$. They make you come to school and starting at 3pm you can stand in this long a$$ line and personally sign your child up for whatever program you like. Since certain ones fill up, they can only take a certain number of kids per class. So, I don't get off until 5pm and the sign up ends at 6pm. I get in line at around 5:40. OK, I just have to say, that if your a stay at home mom, why the heck do you wait until 5:30 to come and sign up your kids for this?? YOU HAVE ALL DAY!!! So, the rest of us working moms now have to wait about 45 minutes in line because there are only 3 people working the sign up booth. The best part is, the class "Vets and Pets" filled up and they made an announcement about this and all the "muckity muck" moms got really ticked off and just left. Sooooooo you couldn't choose something else?? There was like 15 different classes to choose from!!! Those poor kids! But, yay for me because the line was decreased by about 15 people! Luckily, the Running Club was open when I finally got up there, so Alex is good to go!
I'm working so hard with her trying to get her in better shape! She does 2 hours of volleyball on Sundays and now this. We also watch The Biggest Loser together and we both get inspired from that show!
Anyhow, I know this is just a bunch of random stuff, but I guess that's why I'm a noodle!!! (Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti)

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

LoooHooo-SerHer!

So, tonight is a two hour episode of The Biggest Loser. There I'll be, sitting there with my Ben and Jerry's watching as I religiously do every Tuesday night! I did get some inspiration and went to the gym yesterday and worked out on the eliptical for 30 minutes.
Speaking of yesterday, I had a doctor appointment yesterday. The baby's heartbeat is 156! Last time it was 120. They took 10 more vials of blood from me to see if I have any blood clotting going on. I mean really, can't they tell that by just one vial of blood? Do they really need 10?! I almost passed out! I think they felt bad for me because after they were done, they gave me a juice box and some peanut butter crackers. I felt like I was 5 years old walking out of there munching on Lance peanut butter crackers and a Juicy Juice, but it was yummy! Eddie was with me, so he held my hand the whole time they took my blood. If you can't tell, I absolutely HATE getting my blood taken! It's not like it hurts or anything, it just makes me soooo nautious and I just hate it! But anyways, other than that, everything looks good! I get those test results back in 2 weeks, so we'll see.
Next week I fly to Chicago for my AAU presentation. I'm terrified to fly while I'm pregnant, but the Dr. said it was ok, so I guess it's ok. By the way, my doctor is really cool. She's new to Bon Secours. Her name is Dr. Leigh Lewis and she seems really awesome! She just had a C-Section a year ago, so I feel like she knows exactly how I feel. It looks like I will undergo another C-Section the last week in March of next year. Totally my choice, though. I could try for a regular delivery, but the way I look at it...Why destroy "both" places? (if you know what I mean)!
That poor woman who has 17 kids...you know, the Duggar Family? Can you even imagine? All I can say is two words "Grand Canyon"!! Her poor husband, too!
I can't explain my obsession with this family. It's kind of like the freaks with the traveling circus...so horrible...yet you can't look away! They even said they can't wait for baby #18! This woman has been pregnant more than half her life!!! Am I the only one out there that finds this bizarre??! I mean, if you have so many kids, that you can have an online quiz called "Name that Duggar", I think you have too many kids!!! I doubt that's what God had in mind when he said "Be fruitful and multiply", but who am I??
Well, I guess I better get back to work, my lunch hour is officially over!
If you haven't heard about this family, here is their website www.duggarfamily.com
Enjoy!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Whew! The test results are in!

Well, the doctor called me today to let me know that my test result for the ANA test I took on Friday were negative! YaY! (for now, anyways). They still need to keep an eye on me, but so far, so good! I have a doctor appointment on Monday. I hope they do another ultrasound!
Now, if I can just control my hunger!!!! I just ate a huge salad, so I am trying to eat healthy at least! It's weird, because with Alex, I used to crave orange juice all the time. I really don't crave anything particular so far. Who knows...maybe it will come. Not that I'm complaining!!!!
We are still packing up the house. I didn't realize how much STUFF we jammed into that little house of ours!
I am excited about this weekend, though! We are taking the 'fam and Eddie's sister (it's her b-day) to Chesterfield Berry Farm. I know, I know...it's a little soon for pumpkins, but I LOVE this time of year! They have a huge corn maze, hay rides, pumpkins, pig races, inflatables for kids, pumpkin milkshakes, a huge bon fire for you to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.....and more! The fall is so beautiful here in 'ole VA! I love Halloween, too! Alex wants to be a pirate. I think I'm gonna be a Reno 911 cop! For YEARS I have been trying to convince Eddie to go in with me and be the SNL cheerleaders. Every year he refuses, so I am just giving up. My dream is to be in the cast of Reno 911, so I think it's appropriate! Hopefull this will work...below is a clip from one of my favorite episodes! I WANT THAT JOB!!!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

I'm famous!!!

Back in July, Alex and I made this cake. We got the idea from the cover of a Woman's Day magazine. We decided to make it for our church picnic. Anyhow, I had emailed it (back in July) to Woman's Day with a little note thanking them for such a cool idea and how much fun my daughter and I had making it.
Well, today I was perusing their website and I saw a section of their favorite reader submitted cakes. Over 600 people submitted entries and Woman's Day picked their favorite 68 and posted them on their website. The cakes are really cool, too. There is one that is like a mountain of banana's and little monkey at the top and one that is an Apple Computer...they are really cool. Then, I get to #29 and I see our cake and Alex and I!!! It's funny because all of the other photos look like they were professionally taken (backdrop and everything) and our picture was taken by us. You know the deal..you hold the camera out as far as you can and turn it around and hope it worked! No one else has their mugs in the picture except ours! I was laughing so hard when I came to it! It was so unexpected! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Well, here is the link if you would like to have a good laugh at my expense. Just click on the "Click here to see the cakes" http://www.womansday.com/food/12144/you-made-it.html

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Food Hangover

I really need to relax on eating!! Seriously!!! I can sit there and eat a HUGE meal, but then a mere 2 hours later, I'm starving like I haven't eaten in days!!!
This past Sunday was the worst. I directed the best little actress this side of the Mississippi (Sommer) in our church drama (which she did a great job, by the way) - "Oh for gosh sakes....just keep the script up there and hide it!!!" Anyhow, I had a big bowl of cereal for breakfast and had to be at church at 9:15. Church didn't start until 11:10, so by 11:45, I was practically in tears and almost had to leave church early because I was so hungry!!! I didn't say goodbye to anyone or anything...I just B-Lined it outta there and Eddie drove me 90 mph to the nearest KFC!!! I think from now on I'll keep some trail mix on me at all times!!
We also started packing up our house, which is lots of "fun". You always find stuff that you forgot you had when you move. I found a pair of shoes that still had the tag on them!! I totally forgot that I bought those last year!! Alex found a doll someone gave her for her birthday last December under her bed and it has never been opened! We have so much stuff that we are just going to have a yard sale next Saturday. I've never had a yard sale before, so this should be interesting!!!
I worked a golf tournament yesterday from 6am-3pm. I could definitely do that all year round. All I had to do was drive around in a beverage cart and hand out beer to all the players in the tournament! It was funny because the girl I was driving with was also pregnant (due in Nov.) so there we were...two prego's driving around in the beer cart! You can only imagine the comments we got!
Check out this shirt...they are out of stock right now....but you KNOW I'm going to get it!!!!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Friday, September 14, 2007

Potty Talk

Ok, not that I frequently ponder this, but it just came up at work and thought I'd get my "blog on" about it. What's up with all the pressure to not go "#2" while others are in the bathroom? I really think it's a "woman thing". I know speaking for myself, if I have to go, I will hold it until I'm blue in the face and drive home. I refuse to do that at work. Mostly, because EVERYBODY will talk about you! "Oh my gosh...I think Sara stunk up the bathroom because I just went in there and saw someone in stall #4 who has black, closed toed shoes on and she was in there when I walked in and was still in there when I walked out". Then, of course, poor Sara walks out of the bathroom and everyone is giving each other "the look". Also, what's up with the uncomfortable silence while in the bathroom? There should be a radio or something in there. When catching someone in the act of going "#2", you always know what they are doing in there, because they will shuffle their feet as soon as you walk in, or they will blow their nose, or tear off some more toilet paper or cough. Is this a sign to let us know when they are up to so that we will leave? Or is this supposed to create a diversion? Also, if you do stink up the bathroom, do us all a favor and courtisy flush and spray some aerosol! Better yet, use the stalls on the other side of the building! No one works on that side, so you are almost guaranteed a "safe haven"!
Of course, whenever we have to go "#1", it's almost like we are proud of it. We go in, we are all "loud and proud" and are in and out of the stall in 30.2 seconds. We wash our hands and are outta there! Speaking of washing hands, don't you dare leave the bathroom at my job without washing your hands. You will be talked about! I'm a total germaphobe, so I wash my hands and use the paper towel to grab the door handle to get out. But let me tell you something. There are a couple ladies here who do not wash their hands and I refuse to eat any of the food they bring in IF I have to borrow a pen or touch something they have touched, let's just say thank God for anti-bacterial gel!!!!
Well, anyhow, just had to get that off my chest.
I have to go to the doctor today because they called me last night and need to run more Lab work on me. I have some weird blood thing going on to where my blood is so thick that I have to take a baby aspirin every day of my pregnancy. I'm really nervous that they want me to come in again. Please pray that everything is ok for Cletus the Fetus.
I'll keep you posted! My next doc. appointment (other than today) is Sept. 24th.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Yay! We are moving!!!!

Whew! Well, thanks for the prayers! We are going with the lower rent option for now so that we can save a little bit more money for a down payment for a house for next year. We signed all the paperwork today! Owning a house would have been nice, but the mortgage payment was really high, and from what I remember, babies are expensive!!!! I know the daycare alone is equal to a mortgage (no joke)!
Anyhow, if you guys have any boxes, please throw them my way! Also, please feel free to donate your husbands to help poor Eddie move our heavy furniture. We will be moving the heavy stuff the weekend of October 6/7.
So, on a more random note, if you would like to purchase Girl Scout peanuts, do let me know! It's that time of year again :)
I would love to show up all those "muckity muck" moms and sell more peanuts than any of their daughters combined! But, I guess that's in my competitive nature. I'm almost ready to sell them on Ebay, Craigslist, Amazon, Sams Club.......well...you get the picture. All I'm sayin', is if you see a "homeless" woman standing at the light at Wal-Mart, begging all who drive by to please buy peanuts or else my daughter and I will be thrown in the street, it might be me!
What's up with the homeless hanging out there anyway? Seriously....people with money shop at Ukrops!!! They would totally get more sympathy money there! Plus, there is an ABC store right there, which makes it more convenient for them. - That's right....I said it!
Well, take care. RIVERA OUT!!!!!!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

I need a new house!

So, now that we are having a baby, we need a new house! We currently live in a 2 bedroom house, so now we need a 3 bedroom house! I'm totally freaking out! Luckily for us, we are just renting right now and it's month-to-month.
We have been approved for a mortgage, but the monthly price is sooooo high! I'm so nervous about it! We are also looking at this 3 bedroom house that is for rent that is $275 dollars CHEAPER than where we are living now. Ugh....I hate making decisions like this!
I just don't know what to do. Please pray that God will give us a sign!
In addition to all of this, our current rent just went up $50! I think that is a sign to get out of the house, but I just don't know where to go! The landlord on the cheap rental house keeps dragging his feet. The monthly price of a mortgage is ridiculous! So, what is one to do??
Please pray for us!!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Preggers

Ok, ok, ok......I wasn't really ready to tell everybody, but since my daughter totally spilled the beans at church and Rebecca "outed me" in my comments while I was in AZ, I am 10 weeks preggers! Now Rebecca can look and my baby and say "uuuuhhhhggggg"!!!!
I'm not due until late March, so you can see why I didn't really want to tell everyone. Oh, well!!!
Eddie is super excited about it, too!!!
We were just thinking about how fast Alex is growing up and I am soooooo close to her, that I am going to be a total mess when she graduates high school. So, it will be really cool when she graduates that I'll have another one at home that is currently her age. They will be 10 years apart, which works really well for us. Alex is excited to be a big sister. She wants a little sister. I really don't care what I have, as longs as it's healthy!
Oh, also- Arizona is the shiz!!!! Did you ever see that show on tv "The next Best Thing"? It was a reality show consisting of the world's best impersonators. Here is the website: http://abc.go.com/primetime/nextbestthing/index
Anyhoo, I met Lucille Ball!!! She sat down at my table and we laughed and talked forever!!! We got along really well! But, then again, does that really surprise you??
Ok- I am going to try to post some pictures here. If it works out, the first one is of Lucy and I. The second one is a picturs of the building I stayed in at the Arizona Biltmore. The third one is the view from my room at the Biltmore. Enjoy :)
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Cheers for my first post!!!

Ok, so this is my first post, so I'm probably going to ramble a little bit! Sommer talked me into doing this, so if you don't like it, don't read it!!! I apologize in advance if I offend, as I oftentimes do so unintentionally.
Well, let's see, I'm married to a crazy Puerto Rican name Heriberto Rivera. Who goes by "Eddie"-way easier to say. We have been married for 7 years. I also have a beautiful daughter who is 9 years old, named Alexandra. For those of you that knew me when I was just a wee child, she is pretty much a carbon copy of that. She has my personality, sense of humor and everything! She enjoys volleyball, soccer, swimming, girlscouts, taunting her teacher and much, much more!
Speaking of "teacher", I went to open house at school today, by myself. Daycares are closed this week, so Alex is at my parents house in Lynchburg. That was fun. Picture me in my suit walking through school with Alex's "roly" backpack, sans kid. Um....yea....that wasn't awkward at all. Can we say "One of these things is not like the other"? Mind you that Alex goes to one of the "yuppy" type schools here in Richmond. You constantly hear things like "Helllllloooo Patricia....nice summer?....Felix bought me the most faaaaaaabulous Benz over the summer" and "I'm sooooo glad the summer is over, I will have sooooooo much more time to spend at the spa". It's great, really. I love it.
So, anyhow, the Open House was from 11am-12. I got there at 11:30 (your just supposed to drop in anytime). After I was done unloading the school supplies, I met the teacher, who seemed pretty nice. (they all do, until that 2nd week of school) Then, I went over to the volunteer sign up table. I decided to be nosey and see who signed up to be room parent (I'm way to busy for such a task, but I applaud the moms that can do it). Well, evidently becoming a room parent is a highly desired position to have. There were 6 moms that signed up to be room parents. The teacher had a space for 2 people and that's it. Well, evidently, these moms didn't care. In fact, mom #3 on the list drew an arrow to the top of the list and wrote down "I was here at 11am". I guess that makes her special. Are room parents on a first come, first serve basis? I'm sure the teacher is thrilled to have so many moms interested in the position, but you just know they are all going to go "psycho".
I am pretty excited about this weekend. We are going to the Jersey Shore. I know what your thinking ... "classy". But really, Eddie's family lives in New Jersey, so we are going up there to visit them. Eddie has claimed for many years that on the Jersey Shore they serve up a slice of pizza that is bigger than my steering wheel for $2. I have never believed him, so here is his chance to prove himself. Because you know, for me, it's all about food!
We get back on Monday, Alex starts 4th grade on Tuesday, then I'm off to Phoenix, Arizona for work. I'll be there until that Sunday. Then, I'm going to take that Monday off and hang out with the psycho moms at the spa! Just kidding....I'm going to get a spa treatment at my hotel....because gosh darnit...I deserve it! I'm staying at the Arizona Biltmore and I'm just way too excited about it! I've made a lot of friends through my job and this particular tradeshow is my favorite one!
Speaking of my job...I'm a sales manager for the Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau. Basically, my job is to put heads in beds. I work with large conventions, conferences and sporting events and bring them here to the Richmond Region. My favorite market is AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). I am bringing the 2008 National Baseball Championships here to Richmond and hopefully this October, I'll win the bid to bring the 2009 National Girls Basketball Championships here! It's a great job, I'm just away from my home quite a bit. Good thing I've got a crazy Puerto Rican at home to take care of Alex :)
Well, it's about 4:30, so I think I'll do about 5 minutes of real work, then just stare at the computer and act like I'm doing something important. You know the deal....the nod....the "concerning" eyes, pressing my lips together....like I'm researching something...

How do you end a blog....is it just "bye"..."'til tomorrow"..."later"...say nothing at all.....?