Happy Easter!

Today was Hayden's 1st Easter! We were planning on getting up @ 7:30am so the kids could see their Easter baskets & then hunt for their eggs before going to the 8:30am church service. Sadly, we didn't do that because Garyn slept terribly last night & I was up from 1am-4am with Hayden. I never figured out what he wanted last night but I was up for 3 hours with him, trying to get him back to sleep. I thought there was another church around that did an evening service tonight but I was wrong. So we're really bumbed out that we missed church!

We got up @ 9:15am & had to wake up Rya. She didn't want to get out of bed but once we told her the Easter bunny came, she perked right up & jumped out of bed. She was so excited about her Easter basket. Hayden was more interested in the fake grass than the basket itself. Rya did a great job hunting down all the eggs while Hayden finally took interest in his basket. We got them both dressed & ready to go spend the morning @ Grandma Holmes'.

We always love going to Garyn's mom's place. It's always nice to visit with his family & Rya loves playing with her cousins. The morning was relaxing. Just chit chatting & watching the kids play. Then time for more Easter baskets! I can't believe how patient Rya can be. All the kids sat in the family room waiting to be handed their baskets. Rya sat on the couch & just patiently waited. When Garyn brought it to her & told her that it was for her, her mouth dropped & her eyes sparkled! A sweet facial expression from my precious angel I'll never forget. She loved everything in her basket especially the 2 bottles of bubbles. Hayden was very interested in his!

After such a nice & relaxing Easter morning with family it was time for Easter lunch! Rya wanted to be a big girl & eat by herself @ the bar. She did great! Didn't spill anything on her dress or fall off the bar stool. We had wanted to stay for awhile longer but had to start packing up to leave. Hayden was so fussy since he missed his morning nap & poor Rya's feet were all blistered from her flat shoes. They both looked adorable though!

The rest of the day was spent @ home just relaxing & cleaning up the house. The kids enjoyed playing with their new toys. Aside from a nasty fall Hayden had, it was a great evening! Hayden had a wonderful 1st Easter & Rya had a great Easter as well!

Always thankful for this day! The day our Lord rose from the dead after dying for all of our sins so that we may have eternal life! Happy Easter, everyone!

Mom is definitely always right!

One of the things I miss most about my Mom is going shopping together. I'm very blessed to have a daughter of my own that I can go shopping with now. I will always remember something my Mom told me about shopping. "If it's not on sale, you don't need it". I've always agreed with her on that! It has definitely saved me some money over the years.

I saw this lamp set @ Walmart months ago & totally fell in love with it. I wanted it so badly! I knew it'd match our family room furniture perfectly! It's a set of 4 - 1 floor lamp & 3 table lamps. It was $65 though. As much as I wanted it, I didn't want to spend that much on it.

We're @ Walmart alot since we do our grocery shopping there & live right across the street from one. A couple weeks ago, I was there & noticed that the set was down to $54. I almost bought it then because I still wanted it do badly & it was already marked down $11. I decided to keep waiting. There were quite a few left & if waiting a few more weeks meant saving more money then I could wait.

I was at Walmart last night in search of some scrapbook supplies. While I was walking around I saw the lamp set again. I haven't seen it @ this Walmart lately so I thought they were gone. There were 3 left & down to only $40! That was it! I had to buy them! That's only $10 a lamp! I bought them & brought them home to proudly show Garyn.

I only set up the floor lamp today because I bought them for the family room & we don't have any place to put the table lamps. So those will go into storage. Garyn thought only 2 came in the pack so he was really happy to hear that I paid $40 for 4 lamps instead of $40 for 2 lamps! I got them all put together & set up the floor lamp & called Garyn inside to see them. His face was priceless! I love how much he's really getting into decorating the house since it's something I love to do! He was going on about how awesome the lamps are & how great they match!

Now that I have it set up, I realized that I was right. They match the furniture so well! Little things like this just make me realize that I feel like I'm making the right choice in wanting to go to school to be an Interior Designer. I picked the program & now just need to save up the money. I love my new lamps! Thank you so much, Garyn! I can't wait to use the other 3!

Good to Bad

Today I had my interview/audition with Gila River Casino. I've been looking forward to this interview since they called 2 weeks ago. I've been trying to get a job for awhile & this would be my 3rd interview with this casino so I was determined to do my best. The interview was at 9:30am. It wasn't far away but just in case of traffic, I left around 8:30am. I got there in 20min so just waited around until 9:15am to check in. I was called back for the interview at 9:40am. I was very nervous but answered the interview questions well. It was really the audition I was worried about. They had me deal about 10 hands of blackjack & set 7 hands of Pai Gow. I didn't make a single mistake! I was so proud of myself. They said it'll be 1-2weeks before I hear back though.

As I'm walking to my car, I'm thinking about how great it went & I can't wait to get home & tell Garyn. He took the morning off so he could watch the kids. I get in the car & it won't start. I tried it a few times without any luck. At this time, I was so thankful that I grabbed the phone on my way out. Especially since I don't usually take it. We only have 1 cell phone but we can send text messages to & from the computer. I sent a text to the computer hoping Garyn would get it. He did right away & text me back with a few things to try to get it to start. None of them worked. Of course, I noticed that the cell phone is about to die! I then call Garyn's stepdad, Greg who is a master mechanic. He said he could come help but wouldn't be there for a little over an hour.

I was so happy that this would all get squared away but was now wondering what to do for an hour. I text Garyn to let him know & he suggested trying to find someone to give me a jump. So I walked up to the casino which I wasn't happy about because I wasn't parked very close to the casino & was wearing high heels that were already starting to hurt. I found a security lady & told her. I went back to the car to wait. Someone came out & we jumped the car but it still didn't work! I text Garyn & called Greg just so they knew. So it would still be around an hour before Greg would arrive.

I wanted to go into the casino & maybe get some breakfast or play some blackjack but really didn't want to walk up there again. I decided just to wait in the car. Garyn's sister, Brittany called just to check on me. As soon as I hung up, the phone died! Trying to kill time, I cleaned out the car & found a magazine to read. By now it was 11:40am. I was wondering where Greg was so I decided to put my heels on & make the painful walk to the casino. What made it worse was that on my way out the door, I thought I should grab my flip flops but decided not to because I was just going to the interview & that's it. Maybe the gift shop would have flip flops or slippers I could get. I got to the casino & asked for a phone. I was told there were no courtesy phones in the casino. I decided to go to the gift shop & look for flip flops & get some water. Of course, they didn't have flip flops or slippers! I found another person to ask about a phone. She said I can walk to the hotel & use one there. I explained what happened & I really couldn't walk over there. She pretty much said too bad. I started walking there which wasn't a long walk but in 3" heels, it was horrible! I kept stopping to give my feet a break but they hurt so bad so I just took them off & kept going. I found a phone & called Brittany. She said she talked to Greg 15min earlier & he was just leaving. I walked back to the parking lot (shoeless!!) just in time to meet Greg. He did a few things & the car started right up!! Thank you, Greg!!

I was so excited to get home! I got home at 12:45pm!! I pull up & I could see the relief on Garyn's face that I was finally home. Rya standing there, waving & saying "Hi, Mommy!" He gave me a big hug & said he was so amazed at how I take care the kids everyday by myself! Being a stay at home mom is hard! He's always known it's a tough job. He then told me about a huge mess he got to clean up that even I haven't had to do. Hayden was down for a nap & when Garyn went to get him, there was poop all over Hayden, the crib, the blankets & a stuffed animal. I felt so bad for Garyn having to clean all that up but he did a great job!

We both had such a hard morning. My feet hurt so bad still! I have raw/sore spots on 3 areas of each foot, the back of my heels are red & raw & I have a big blister. I'm still so thankful that I grabbed the phone as I was leaving but from now on, we will ALWAYS charge it at night. I'm always taking flip flops if I'm not wearing them. I'm very thankful to Greg for coming out & starting the car. It'll be 1-2 weeks before I find out if I got the job or now. Considering how well the interview/audition went & everything I went through this morning, I think I deserve the job!

So let's pray that this will be my next place of work!

March 1st is always a hard day for me. Today, 7 years ago, I lost my wonderful & amazing mother. I usually try to fill this day with activites to keep my mind off it. Of course, I think about her everyday but today is even harder.  We went to the zoo last year & I didn't even realize what the day was until that evening. That's when we decided we'd go every year. We aren't able to go today so I've been trying to keep busy around the house & with the kids.

I was 19 almost 20 when she passed so I remember her very well. I can still see her gorgeous smile, hear her calling me "Debbie" & hear her laugh. I have so many wonderful memories of her! She taught me how to scrapbook & we used to scrapbook together for hours. We would watch our favorite show 'Diagnosis Murder' every night with a bowl of popcorn & Pepsi. She would take me to Dahlia & Daffodil fields. One of my favorites was that she & I would go to Christmas boutiques every Christmas. I did that for the 1st time with my daughter this past Christmas. I found myself crying as we were walking up to the boutique because I was so happy to be doing that with my little girl but couldn't help but wish how much I wanted my Mom walking with us. There are so many more memories that I can't wait to share with Rya.

I always thought that her being gone would get easier as time went on. I also thought that after Rya was born, it would get easier. Neither of those are true. I'm afraid that as time goes on, I'll forget things about her. While I'm so grateful for my own daughter (& son) it kills me that she'll never know her Grandma Viveiros. She will only know so much from stories & pictures. I will make sure that both my babies know what an amazing, strong & loving person their Grandma was! I love it that I have a little girl of my own to do things with that I remember doing with my Mom. What hurts is how much I wish my Mom was here to enjoy doing the things with her grandaughter that she used to do with her daughter.

I'm very thankful for Garyn & how wonderful he is on days like this. I remember shortly after we got engaged, we were talking about what we pictured the person we'd marry would be like & one thing he said was that he never thought he'd marry someone who had lost a parent.He is so caring & understanding when I'm really missing my best friend.  He is so wonderful with all the traditions that I've brought into our family that I got from my Mom. He's also doing a great job helping me keep her memory alive in our house from the gorgeous 8X10 picture I have of her (which is in storage, sadly) to naming our daughter after her! When we were discussing baby girl names in June 2008, I told him that our daughter's middle name is Michele & he had the same idea. I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with a husband who is so loving & caring!

I know my Mom is in the best place ever & is no longer in pain. It puts a smile on face knowing that I'll see her again someday & will be with her forever! I look at my gorgeous Rya Michele & see a little bit of my Mom in her. I'm always so flattered when people say how much I look like my mother. It now brings a tear to my eye to see Rya, my little mini me. I just hope that I'm 1/2 the mom my Mother was. She was the most amazing person! She never yelled, lost her temper or got angry. She was always so happy, smiling & just amazing! She was truly the best & most amazing Mom ever! I remember towards the end, I never saw her cry, never heard her complain. She never said "Why me?" but instead said "Why not me?"

I'm very blessed with my family, my wonderful husband & 2 gorgeous babies. I wish she was here to meet her son-in-law & 2 grandchildren but know she's in Heaven, watching me. She already knows my family. I've always felt over the last 7 years that she's been watching over me & now over my family. No one will ever take her place & I'm very thankful that people understand how amazing she was to me & no one has even ever tried to take her place. That means alot to me. I love my stepmom dearly & am very thankful my Dad found happiness again. I adore my mother-in-law & am thanful Garyn doesn't know the pain of losing a parent. I adore being a mother & my Mom always told me that that is what I was born to do!

*I love you so much, Mom. You're with me today & always! I miss you so much & always will. I'll never forget you! I have my husband, Dad & your Mom to help me through this day. I love you!*

Good Bye Binkie!!

On Wednesday, I decided that it was defintely time to get Rya off her binkie. We were hoping to have her off it by her 2nd birthday but that didn't happen. We tried a few things like cutting the tip off & giving that to her. We also tried explaining that binkie's are for babies & she's a big girl but that didn't work either. Everyone said to just take it from her. She'd probably cry for it & have a few temper tantrums but that would only last a few days. I really didn't want to do it that way. I felt terrible at just the thought of taking her binkie from her especially when her doctor told me that it's her comfort.

I still thought that she's too old to have it so it's time to say good bye to the binkie! When she woke up on Wednesday, I gave her breakfast & when she wasn't looking, I took her binkie & hid it along with the extras. When she finally noticed it was gone, I told her that binkie is all gone. She cried a little for it but I told her that binkie went bye-bye. She forgot about it for awhile but later wanted it again. I finally told her that her binkie went home. That she understood! She knows the all gone means there isn't anymore. She knows that bye bye means something or someone is leaving & went home means it's gone for good. She was so great after I told that. She kept saying, "Binkie, home! Binkie, home"  She never had a temper tantrum for it or ever really wanted it. She would ask for it but then say "home" so I knew that she understood that it was gone!

Today is now day 4 without the binkie & she's still doing so great! She doesn't even ask for it @ nap time or bed time. It really took a day to get her off her binkie! If I had known it was going to be that easy, I would have done it months ago. I'm so happy she isn't using it anymore! Also because she always had it in her mouth so she always had a rash around her mouth. No more binkie = no more rash!! She now calls herself a 'Big Ga' (big girl).

I realized that as a stay at home mom, I have alot of time on my hands which is partly why I started a blog. I don't blog very often so I'm really going to try to do so more often. So this blog is all about my babies! I don't think I've been keeping up on how well they're doing!

My precious little Rya is now 27months old! I can't believe she'll be 3 in November! She's the sweetest & smartest little girl. Everytime Garyn or I leave, she says bye & gives a kiss & a hug. She loves to cuddle with me (which I love!) & she is so attentive to Hayden. If he cries, she pats his head & tells him it's okay. If someone gets hurt, she asks "what happen?".

She's so incredibly smart too! She knows 7 colors (black, blue, purple, orange, green, pink & yellow). I was reading an article that said the average kid between the ages of 24months & 36months knows 1 color! She also knows 10 body parts (hair, nose, mouth, ear, chest, belly, butt, toes, foot & fingers). We can't believe how smart she is! I never believe in Preschool, I felt that it was not necessary, there was no reason to put a 3 year old in school so you might as well put the child in daycare. It's funny how your opinions change when you get older & have kids. We're thinking about putting Rya in preschool next year since she already knows so much!

I love when she talks! She repeats everything she hears. She knows her name (has for awhile) but it comes out 'Wy-wy' or 'Wya'. My favorite words she says is "Kepish" (ketchup), "Manch" (ranch) & "Puppa Dog" (puppy dog).
She's so tiny too! She still fits into 18month onesies. She can wear a 2T but most of those sizes are a bit too big. I'm having a hard time with jeans for her though. Her 18month jeans fit her around her waist but are like high waters. Her 24month jeans are long enough but literally fall off. We're going to try to find her a belt so that will solve the problem. At her 2 year doctor's appointment, she was 27lbs & 37" tall! We can't believe how tall she is! She is just the sweetest, most beautiful little girl & we're so thankful for her!

Our handsome son Hayden is doing great! He'll be 9months old in 10days! He is such a sweet & funny little boy. He makes the funnist faces & noices.

I was a little worried about his milestones because of the extra fluid in his head but he's doing great! He's been sitting with any help for weeks. He love to sit on the floor & play. He can scoot around on the floor on his tummy. He's very strong so we think he'll be crawling soon.

He loves to play in his saucer all the time! He has been eating baby food since he was 6months but we just recently started him on the baby snacks. His favorites are the Mum Mum cookies & the Yogurt Drops.

He's a big boy too! He's already in 9month clothes which we expected. At his last doctor's appointment, he was 19lbs & 28". Growing like a weed! He has his 9month appointment on the 28th & I'm so anxious to see how big he is.

He was a huge surprise but we're so thankful for him.

We're so very blessed to have these 2 little angels in our lives. I love watching them grow & discover new things everyday! Being a Mom is by far the greatest job & having kids is the best gift ever!

I love garage sales!

Yesterday morning I got up at 6:30am to go hit up some garage sales. Getting up at 6:30am is early for me since I get up with the kids & they don't wake up until at least 9am. It was kind of hard for me to get up that early especially since Hayden still wakes up at least 4 times a night! But I haven't been garage saling in a long time & I really enjoy it now! I'd been looking forward to it all week! I was on craigslist everyday trying to find the good ones that I wanted to go to & making sure I knew how to get to each one. My wonderful husband not only was just as excited as I was about it, but he even said he'd take care of the kids while I was gone!

I never really cared for going to garage sales until we moved to Arizona back in March 2009. I went to a few with my mother-in-law & then Garyn & I went to some & found some awesome deals including an authentic Coach purse! I was hooked! I've gone out once or twice by myself but never found anything.

My main goal for going to garage sales is to find clothes for the kids. They grow so fast (especially Hayden) so I think it's pointless to always buy their clothes at Children's place, Target or even Ross. I'll still pick up outfits for them if I find a cute one on sale but I won't spend too much money at the stores for their clothes. I did recently find a store down the street from us called Once Upon a Child. They take gently used children's clothes & give store credit in return. I have 2 bags full of clothes I need to take in! So I was really hoping to find alot of new outfits for the kids. Most of the garage sales I found on craigslist advertised that they had plenty of kid clothes.

I started out to at 6:45am & the 1st two garage sales on my list weren't even there! On my way to the 3rd one, I decided to stop at one I was just passing by. I got out since I saw a bunch of kids clothes. As I'm walking up, I see a white Louis Vuitton purse! I couldn't pass it up! It looked authentic (even if it wasn't, it looked like it) so I snatched it up right away.

I was then very happy with my find! I continued for about another hour & a half. Almost every garage sale I went to had toddler or baby clothes. The problem was that I was looking for 2T girls & 9month boys & each garage sale had 2T boy & 9month girls! I finally gave up & went home so excited to show Garyn my awesome new purse! He & the kids were up by the time I got home. He was proud of my find. I did go online to see if my purse was real or not. It didn't really matter because I liked but I was curious. I found a website that described the difference between a real & a fake & mine is definitely real! I'm the proud owner of a Louis Vuitton purse thanks to a garage sale. I was disappointed I didn't find any kids clothes but I'll be going to Once Upon a Child this week & will hopefully get some store credit so the babies will get a few new outfits! But another successful garage sale day!