The Smeltzer's Scrapbook

Day 17

2010-11-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

Day 17
Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

hmmm ... this is a toughie. I know this sounds stupid to some people and unless you LOVE zumba like me you wouldn't understand but it would be Gina Grant. She's an Amazing Zumba Specialist who teaches classes to people who want to be instructors. It would be so cool to be in her shoes and see what she does.

Day 16 (TODAY NOV 28)

2010-11-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

Day 16

Anthor picture of yourself

Wow ... I really don't have that many ... isn't that kinda sad ...

Day 15 (NOV 27)

2010-11-28T09:09:00.001-08:00

Day 15

Put your Ipod on shuffle and the first 10 songs that play

1. She Hotter - Zumba song
2.Where is the Love- Black Eye Peas
3.swing batter swing- Trace Adkins
4.Give it to you- Eve & Sean Paul (Zumba)
5. Mountains- Lonestar
6. Sissy Song- Alan Jackson
7. Would you Go With Me - Josh Turner
8. Whatsername- Green Day
9 I Told you so- Carrie Underwood
10. Bicycle Race- Queen

Day 14 (NOV 26)

2010-11-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

Day 14

A pic of you and your family.

Ok so I don't have many of these ... my immediate family doesn't take any family pictures but I can't put several ones of different people

Above are pics of me and sisters, Steph and Cecelia and below is pictures of me and my sis in laws, Breann, Emie, Rachel and Brooke

Day 13 (NOV 25- THANKSGIVING)

2010-11-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Day 13

A letter to someone who hurt you recently ...

Dear someone.

I can't believe how selfish you are. You're suppose to be someone who loves and cares for me and you hurt me grately. You bring up things that aren't relevent to make yourself feel better. I am angry at your reaction and how you put my feelings aside and you don't care about the outcome. What really gets me is when I ask you not to do something you continue to do it and act like because I am asking you its the big inconvience. I also thinks it ridicoulous that you bring up something from over 15 years ago. Something that I take no part of now, why would you bring that up, it makes no sense. You said I should just let go of it but I can't now and it will take me a long time to forgive your words that was said to me. Other people have stopped talking to you for this very reason and I used to think, "man, they are being so rude and it can't possibly be that bad," but now I understand. I hope you sit there everyday knowing what you have done.

Day 12 (NOV 24)

2010-11-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Day 12

How you found out about blogger?

Well ... it's been a few years. I think I was just looking at other friends blogs and decided to create one. I am really not a blogging type of person but I really love reading other people's blogs.

Day 11 (NOV 23)

2010-11-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

Day 11

Anthor picture of you and your friends ...

ZUMBA friends!

Day 10 (NOV 22)

2010-11-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

Day 10

Songs you listen to when you are bored, happy, sad, mad and hyped. This one will take some time because I have a hard time just "listening" to music lately.

Bored - Praying for Daylight by Rascal Flatts

Happy- ZUMBA music ... lol I can't sum a particular song ... sorry

Sad - One More Day by Diamond Rio

Mad - I'll be honest I don't listen to music when I am angry ... i don't even think I have any "angry" songs ... and nope I don't I just looked through my IPOD list .. lol

Hyped - I have a lot of songs that get my hyped up when I am about to do something (run, zumba) but for some reason when I listen to Flat on the Floor by Carrie Underwood I am amped!

Day 9 (NOV 21st)

2010-11-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Day 9

Something I am proud of.

Well two things really ...

1. of how far Noah is coming along. this time last year he was running in circle not interactive, no focus, no response. It was soooo hard to take him anywhere and to feel normal. Now is talking more, he is riding his trike (a HUGE feat!), and he is doing more things socially. He loves riding the school bus and loves playing with kids. it's still a work in progress and I hope he will start to be able to form sentences soon ...

2. of ME! I have been doing a lot of zumba lately and I am proud of how much dedication I put toward that. I love doing it and it's helped me really be a leader. I am also proud I stopped biting my nails. I SOMETIMES catch myself doing it but they are longer then they ever have been and I am not embarrassed of my hands anymore.

WOW! Behind as usual

2010-11-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

But this time it's not my fault ... We were trying to go out of town for the holidays and our flights were cancelled and then our lights were out for 5 days and then it just came to laziness. However I am here to make up 9 days right NOW ..

Day 8
Short term goals

Well I get it's more I hope it's short term but it ends up to be long term. I really want to lose 10 pounds by next summer. it takes me a really long time to lose 5 pounds so I am hoping that if I really focus ... amp up my working out and cut our sugar I'll be able to ... BUT I LOVE sugar ... we'll see how it goes

Day Seven

2010-11-19T20:29:00.001-08:00

A picture of someone or something that has had the biggest impact on you ...

That would be my best friend, Sariah.

We've been friends since 3rd grade, so we met when we were 9 years old. We've been friends for 18 years. I wanted to be like her so much when we were younger. I am not sure why she stayed my friend, but she stuck by me through it all. She was the example to me as to why I joined the church at 15. She stayed my friend through my rough patches and she is always there for me.

She's been through a lot lately in her life and she still is a great mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend. I can't imagine my life without her in it. Jesus and I love you Riah.

Day Five/Six

2010-11-18T19:06:00.000-08:00

Day Five

A picture of a place I've been to.

Disneyland!

Lol I haven't been really anywhere exciting but I love Disneyland. We hope to go there before Noah starts kindergarden ... so like 2 years away :)

Day Six

My Favorite Super Hero

Well I have lots of heros and I find them all super so I will choose four the have influenced my life greatly.

My husband, Aaron is amazing. I love him so much. He's always there for me and does so much for me. He picks me up when I am down and pushes me when I need it.

This is my Dad, Bob. He's my father so of course he's my hero! He's always done so much for us when we were younger. He really tried to participate in our lives and he's very loving. He's a great grandfather and provides for his family

This is my grandfather, Papa. He passed away 5 years ago and I miss him greatly. He loved his country and served til he passed. He was such a caring man and love us so much.

This is Nate. He passed away from cancer when he was 18. I love and miss him so much. He taught me a lot and he helped me appreciate things a lot more.

I love these four men more then anything ... they are truly my "super"heros

I already missed a day- Day Three/Four

2010-11-16T20:31:00.001-08:00

So I offically suck ... I have a bad memory and blogging isn't something I really keep up on ... so here is Day Three

Pic of you and your friends

This is me and my besties, Sariah and Carrie. The rest of the pics are with my good zumba friends. I couldn't find a lot of pics with me and friends ... cuz most of them aren't on this computer.

Day Four.

A habit you wish you didn't have ...

Well I used to bit my nails really bad. I've done really good with not biting them (as much) anymore.

I know I chew gum ... a lot. I think way too much and I have to chew two pieces. It's kinda annoying that I feel like I always have to chew gum. I guess that's it. I know it's not that exciting. :)

Day Two

2010-11-14T08:58:00.001-08:00

This one is the meaning behind your blog name
"The Smeltzer Family"
I really dont think that one needs to be summerized soooo guess I'll post more tomorrow :)

Melissa

Day One

2010-11-13T20:55:00.001-08:00

I was going to start the Day 1 post tomorrow but I am just going to do it tonight. I hope I can come up with 15 interesting things about myself

1. I am a twin, but we don't look like twins

2. I am NOT a morning person

3. I love sprees, they are probably my most favorite candy

4. I love sugar. It might be the reason why losing weight has been hard for me

5. Speaking of weight, I've lost 25 pounds in a year. I've gone down 5 sizes so I feel pretty good about it. I set small goals for myself and hope to lose 15 more pounds.

6. I LOVE ZUMBA. This really isnt interesting because everyone who knows me, knows I am obessed

7.I am a debt collector. It's not the best job in the world, but it's a job

8. I actually have my degree in Accounting, but I am thinking about going back to school to be a counsoler

9. I want to adopt as many children as I can

10. I struggled with an eating disorder for 8 years of my life and I still struggle everyday

11. I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I joined when I was 15.

12. I was a horrible student in High School. I graduated with a 1.7 (I think) GPA. Not proud of it ... and I wish I applied myself better

13. I hate driving, I actually get HUGE anxiety when I drive or anyone else drives.

14. my two biggest pet peeves are hair (in a hair brush,on clothes, on the floor, in the bathroom) and leaving dirty laundry around.

15. I hate tomatoes, eggs, avacadoes, sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and any kid of liquid medicine. I will seriously throw up if I eat them, just thinking about it makes me want to gag.

Heres the picture ...

30 Day Blogging Challenge

2010-11-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

I took this from my friend, Ashley's blog, and I think this sounds really fun and I'm gonna do it!30 Day Challenge Each day of the month, write a blog post according to these guidelines below:

Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3-A picture of you and your friends
Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have
Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been to
Day 6-Favorite super hero and why
Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them
Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days
Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped
Day 11-Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one
Day 13-A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14-'A picture of you and your family
Day 15-Put your ipod or shuffle on-first 10 songs that play
Day 16-Another picture of yourself
Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18-Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19-Nicknames you have and why you have them
Day 20-Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
Day 21-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22-What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23-Something you crave for a lot
Day 24-A letter to your parents
Day 25-What I would find in your bag
Day 26-What do you think about your friends
Day 27-Why you are doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28-A picture of you from last year and now-how have you changed?
Day 29-In this past month, what have you learned?
Day 30-Your favorite song

Has it really been 6 months?

2010-10-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am horrible at blogging. I am going to sit down to find some time to tell everyone about the last few months. So, here we go ...

Noah turned 3 in May. He is getting so old. I can't believe it. He used to be just a tiny little boy.

Here are some pics of that day

He is now talking a lot more since starting therapy. We still have a hard time understanding him but he's doing better. HE LOVES incredibles and anything with superheros, especially iron man, which is funny because he's never even watched the movie.

He loves to run (still) and play with our dog, Packer (even though he doesn't really like playing back).

As a lot of you know I am a ZUMBA instructor and am obsessed with it. In July I got certified to teach children 4-12 years of age, it's called ZUMBATOMIC. Here are some pictures

Also in July we went to California to visit my real mom's side of the family in Peteluma. It was fun. We only stayed for a few days and I wish we stayed longer. Next time I guess.

In August Aaron's sister, Rachel, came to visit for a few days. It was so great to see her and spend time together. We took her to see Seattle since she's never been here before. I only have a few pictures because my camera was not working properly, but you get the idea.

Noah started preschool just recently and it was a success. No tears (from mommy or Noah). He rides the bus to school and I was just extremely nervous that he would freak out, but he didn't care he was too excited and just said BYE and waved. What a cute little boy, all grown up

Aaron's been doing really good. Just started school back up and will finish with his Associate's Degree in the spring. He is very excited to be getting closer and closer to his degree. He has started running more and has lost 40 lbs in like 3 or 4 months. I am pretty jealous because it has taken me over a year to lose 20 lbs. He's doing so well. He ran a half marathon in Sept and finished in 1 hour and 25 mins.

As for me? I am just working a lot and doing Zumba. It's really become a passion of mine. I hope to someday teach a few classes on my own but I don't have a whole ton of time to devot to that.

I am really exited for this time of year because it's Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love fall and everything that comes with it. Since Noah is developing more and more everyday I really want to teach him about the holidays what they mean and do crafts. We'll see how that comes. We will be doing a pumpkin patch excursion soon. More to come and hopefully it won't take me anthor 6 months to post.

Melissa

ZUMBA!

2010-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

yup that what this post will be about. Most of you know that I am a zumbaholic. I started doing it when I moved here, around March 2009. I just LOVED it. I love dancing and I love the way Latin music makes you feel. They also have different styles and, of course, I have more of a hip hop style but I make it work. I've lost 16 pounds so far ... I hope to lost 10 more pounds but I thank zumba (and my dedication to the gym). I was hoping for more of a dramatic weight loss but people say I look different so atleast that is good. So, last weekend was my 6 year wedding anniversary and I went to Oregon to certify for ZUMBA. I am thankful that Aaron wasn't too mad about it. :) We are celebrating our love this coming weekend, he seems to think he has to buy me a present but just me certifying was good enough for me. So, now I am offically an instructor. I hope to get a job to teach on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I am really excited. Here is some pictures

This is me in my zumba gear

This is (from left to right), Abraham, Leslie, Tayna, Gina and ME!

Gina and Abraham were the instructors certifying us. It was amazing and so was she. :)

So, now lets go on about Noah. I love him. He's becoming such a bright boy and doing so well with his therapy. Hes starting to talk more and participate in things. We are trying to get him do adult directed activities so when he goes to preschool it won't be so hard. That's a challenge. Hopefully it will get better. Here are some pictures.

I can't seem stay on track

2009-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is ... maybe sitting at the computer typing or trying to compile something to type but I just can't seem to keep up on my blogs. I go two to three month before I update. I am just not a blogger and I am sorry. However, it gives everyone something to look forward to I guess.

So, whats been going on? Well lets go by months:

October= HALLOWEEN!

did we celebrate? Not really. My dear friend, Melissa, lent me a costume her son wore for Halloween when he was Noah's age, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR. All we did was go to a church Halloween party and came home. Noah doesn't grasp the idea of Halloween and it's not a favorite holiday of mine yet. Here are some pictures of the night ...

November=THANKSGIVING.

Nothing special here. My older sister couldn't come to Washington for the holiday so it was just Oma, Opa, Aaron, Noah, my sister, Cecelia and myself.

Noah did start his developmental therapy this month. He is meeting with OT therapist on Tuesdays and Thursdays at our house. He will start Speech therapy in January as well as going to some Autism classes. On this note, we actually have seen a HUGE difference in him since doing therapy. He has a sensory issue so all this pressure builds up and he has no way to release it except to act really really crazy. It was very frustrating and hard to keep him calm. Now he is starting to converse with us (somewhat) and interact with us instead of going a millin miles a minute. I can't wait until he finally says "I love you Mommy." I think that's what gets to me the most. I can't have the type of converstations with my son that my friends have with their 1 1/2 year olds ... and my son is almost 3! So I hope speech therapy with get him going even farther and then once he starts preschool for the therapy classes he'll be able to interact with children his age on a regular basis.

Now ... December=CHRISTMAS!

My favorite month and time of year. I bought most of Aaron's gifts online on ebay so I saved a lot of $$. I am a really thrifty shopper so I only spent $150 on Noah this year (not a lot since he's my only child) ... and half of that was on a slide! He still didn't really grasp the idea of how Christmas works but it was actually really fun. We were really worried that he would be too stimulated and not be able to retain calmness ... but he was actually so good and really just stuck to a few toys and I opened all his presents. I hope next year he will understand Santa and we can start talking about what Christmas is all about and so on. It will be fun to do those activities together.

So ... what about me? I have been just working a lot. I am also working out a lot too. I am disappointed that in 6 months I have only lost 12 pounds but everyone says I look a lot different. I don't have a before and after picture because I have always hated getting pictures taken of my whole body ... but I'll post some on here of what I look like now. I am doing a lot of ZUMBA. I can't tell you how much I love that fitness program. I think it's what helped me alot with my depression. If anyone can try it you will love it. It's not about being the best at it ... it's about having fun and dancing ... you can burn up to 1000 calories in one hour ... We tested those pedometer things one time and I burned 850!!

Aaron has done really well in school gotten 4.0s two quarters in a row! I only did that one semester in college ... lol he's really good at math and I am very proud of him. He's also doing such a great job being a stay at home dad and putting up with my grumpyness ...

Anyways ... my computer is not letting me download the pictures I have so I will put them on in a few days .. .if I remember. Happy Holidays! :)

Melissa

Stephanie Nielson

2009-11-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

I urge everyone to go to this blog
nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Once you read it and look at pictures you will feel humbled. Humbled about not only your life, but about your appearance. I am the biggest self critic. I look at myself and pick everything apart to my hair to my skin tone. I've always had this issue since I was young, growing deeper when I had my eating disorder. It's hard to overcome habits especially when you feel basic hate for your looks.

After reading about this woman and what she goes through made me cry. She is scarred from a devestating plane accident she was in a little over a year ago. She was burned over 80% of her body and was in a coma for months. She might have her days of self doubt and saddness of her appearance but she's such an inspiration. It makes me take a deeper look into my life ... because I don't think I would have the courage that she does.

Again wow. This definitly humbled me

I will update with pictures soon.

Melissa

Weight Loss

2009-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've really been working on losing weight ... so here is two pictures and I want to know if I possibly look any different. When I look at myself I still see a really overweight person ... but that still stems from my eating disorder from when i was younger. My perception of myself is distorted and I don't think I'll ever see myself "normally" so please let me know

before after

These are the only two photos i can really find of myself that shows my whole (ish) body obviously i have issues of full body shots.
Nothing is showing on the scale so it's really getting to me ...

Melissa

Updates ...

2009-07-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

So a lot has happened since the blog. In early June we went to Utah to visit Aaron's family. Here are some pictures from the trip ....

Brooke and IRachel and I

Breann and I Emie and Iall of usbeing silly

That me with my sister in laws. They are all very fun and it was great seeing them. Rachel just got from a mission in Thailand ... so it was great to see her after 18 months of service.

Here is Aaron and his old mission companion John ...

This is my friend, Kelly. Her and I were roommates at BYU Idaho for a year back in 2002. She didn't tell me she was 9 MONTHS PREGNANT before I saw her. Aaron was like, uh, Melissa either Kelly is pregnant or she got really fat." lol and if you knew Kel you'd know that would never happen. she looks great and I am very happy for her.

Also during my wonderful Utah trip I found out that my license was suspended AND I had a warrent for my arrest. Goodness! I was really pissed and confused since I had a valid Washington license. I got it cleared up and its a long story but I was so angry that I had to pay a ticket that I assumed was paid over a year ago. Oh well.

When we came back I got a membership the local YMCA. We got almost 75% off everything because are poor. LOL so now I am trying to lose my baby gut. My overall goal is to lose 40 pounds we will see how that goes.

Noah is now 35 lbs and 35 inches long. He's growing so fast. We are taking him to a developmental pedetrican because he isn't talking and shows some signs of autism. If he does have it, it's very mild.

That's about it! Nothing else exciting, I'll update again after 2 months of not :)

Melissa

A little behind ...

2009-06-07T19:04:00.001-07:00

2 months to be exact! I haven't really been in a blogging mood and I am actually forcing myself to do this right now. I'll update you since the last time I blogged

Work has been working and nothing exciting to report. Our schedueles have changed because of a "amesty" we are doing for the month of may and june. I no longer work 10 hour shifts 4 days a week. I am really missing my zumba classes right now. :( That is suppose to be ending June 30th but they might keep our schedueles the same which I am bummed about because I hate 9-6pm. However a jobs a job right?

April 17th was mine and Aaron's 5th anniversary. We just went out to the melting pot and came home. Yeah we're pretty lame. It was fun, but also we don't have a lot of money to be spending right now.

In May we found out that there is no hope to saving our home from forclosures unless we wanted to spend money out of pocket to fix our home up and if we could do that, we wouldn't have moved away. So, now we are dealing with other issues revolving around our home. I am pretty stressed and upset about it, so I am going to stop typing about it.

Also in May was Mine and Noahs birthday. Aaron took me out to the Olive Garden on my birthday and we went and saw Night at the Museum Two. It was a fun day for me. Then next day we went to Oregon and visited my very dearest friend, Carrie. She always can make me happy and uplift me, especially during these troubled times. I am greatful for her and her husband, David, for being such great hosts and great friends. I love them dearly.

May 30th was Noahs 2nd birthday. We didn't do much. We actually celebrated it on May 31st due to me working and going to a conference that had to do with my calling in church. So, we had a pool party. I invited my anthor wonderful friend, Sarah, and her daughter, Kylie, to his party. It was just my family and them so it was nice. We had fun splashing around and even my sister, Stephanie, was in town from Missoula Montana for the occasion. Noah got a lot of fun gifts, a tricycle, his pool, a lot of "cars" stuff, clothes, balls, etc etc. We then enjoyed a ice cream cake that my friend, Alison, made for us from Dairy Queen. Here are some pictures to enjoy

Now it's June. In 5 days we are going to Utah and spending time with Aarons family. It will be nice and relaxing that I don't have to work but then I won't get anymore vacation time til 11-24-09. Ugh. Anyways that is really all to update about nothing too exciting. More pictures and stories to come maybe in a few more months :)

Melissa

UUUGGGHHHAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH

2009-04-08T18:18:00.001-07:00

Yup that is how I feel right now. As some of you know (some might not) we are losing our house. Yes, I've been very depressed and sad about it but its the way life happened for us. I got laid off and then couldn't afford our payments. Chase wasn't willing to help us out with any programs and because the economy was so bad no one could help us out financially (programs, friends, family). So, we had to pack up our belongings and moved ourselves to Washington. We felt like it was kind've a blessing because we felt like we needed a change and Aaron needed to go to school and it wasn't possible in Utah. So, we sought assistance from a program called "Walkaway Plan" and they've been very helpful. We put our house on the market for 3 months (short sale) and then they sent out a died in lieu of forclousure (help us NOT to forclose). So, Chase has been very rude to me lately calling me and saying that I am being disrespectful to them and I am not coorporating. I understand they are trying to collect a debt (that's what I do for a living) but they are NOT listening to what I am saying. My account is in litigation which means the litigation department is handling it because of the forclosure thing. So, finally the person over my account calls the person helping me at Walkaway plan and tells her I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING over again because we have a different type of loan. So I have to fill out all the paper work and put it on short sale again for 3 months. I think they are just trying to set me up to fail. I really do, I hate Chase and this whole thing. I am so mad that it is giving me a headache.

so anways I just feel awful about myself and this whole thing. I thought it was getting somewhere and now we are back to square one again ... it makes me feel very worthless.

Melissa

I just haven't been in the blogging mood ...

2009-04-06T14:59:00.001-07:00

Sorry everyone, I get on here and read everyones blogs but I just haven't had anything in me to post one of my own for a few months. So, what is new???

Well, I got my first commission check from my job this last month. It was nice and I was able to pay off two of our bills. :) Now, my job isn't luxury. I am actually a little intimidated telling people where I work, because I am a debt collector and when I do tell someone I get a look as if to say " oh, you're one of those people." I do feel guilty every day I go home and it does make me sad of what I have to do everyday. However, it's a job, and the only one I've been able to get so far. Someday, I will be able to not work there and either work somewhere else, or finally be a stay at home mom (maybe watching a few other kids on the side). Until that day comes, I am one of those people for now.

Noah went to the doctor a few weeks ago for his very late 18 month check up (he's 22 months right now). He weighs 31 lbs and is 34 inches tall. So, he's in the 95th percentile for weight and 50th for height. I really hope he isn't short when he gets older. I will feel so bad for him. :( He's also decided that he has turned two (he decided this probably 5 months ago) and is a little terror! I mean I love him, but he throws these fits where he bangs his head on the floor. I mean it's hard!!! He is still sleeping in the same room with us. His room is ready except my mom is suppose to finish his curtains (and I have to keep reminder her everyday!!!) and we have to do something with his closets. I also am not sure if we are going to get him a toddler bed or not. He's not even two yet, but he manages to climb onto his changing table (why I ever bought a crib with one attached, who knows, I have YET to use the stupid thing and it was a must have before he was born) and shimmy down the floor. I am hoping by the end of this month he will be adjusted to his new room and finally be away from us. LOL I love him, but having him live with us the same room since October has been difficult.

I am still trying to lose weight. I haven't lost anything. I am a little depressed about it and wondering what is wrong with me. I mean, I haven't been eating bad and I work out and still nothing. Also, I have the worst acne for some reason. all over my chin. It's made me so self conscious and ugly.

I don't know if I am going to venture into selling Mary Kay. My friend, Jennie, is selling it and pitched it to me (I've been to a "party" with my friend, Sariah, before but wasn't interested at the time because I was 19 and didn't want to spend the money). It's really interesting and I can get my products 50% off my entire life (I'd only have to sell 200 dollars a year). I just have a couple of hiccups. I don't know how I'd do it because I don't know many people. I know that it's suppose to get you to be able to approach people and sell to them and referrels and stuff but also I have such bad skin right now, who would want to buy anything from me. I know if someone was pitching makeup to me I'd except their face to reflect the product. I don't know has anyone here sold Mary Kay or is selling and what was their experiences?

Aaron is still doing the school thing. It's his second sememster and doing so well. I'm proud of him and what he's accomplishing. I wish he would have started this sooner though!!! :)

Our anniversary is in two weeks (april 17th). We are going to celebrate at the Melting Pot (so DELICIOUS!!!!!) and out on the town. I'm excited.

Well, today it is lik 70 degrees outside and I am going to enjoy the sun a little bit more before it goes away again.

Melissa

Missed a lot ...

2009-02-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have a hard time blogging. I always say, I have to blog today ... and then decide I 'll do it later because then I can gather all the info I need into one post instead of multiple, then I get lazy and don't blog.

So here's the last month of info:

At work I got a new desk to work off of. I was on a desk that wasn't getting any money at all on it. On Friday My desk was at 10,800 so hopefully by Tuesday I'll be at way more and I can atleast make some commission! :)

Noah is getting so big and saying more words more and more. I'm not sure why it has taken him so long to actually say words. I am not sure if he's been "talking" all along or if he just is slower then other children. He's also FINALLY eating actual meals. He loves Mac N Cheez and toast. He's also so funny in the mornings. Because he is sleeping in the same room with us (until my sister moves out) he always comes and sleeps with us because he will get up and see us. It's so annoying but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to go sleep on our cold couches in the playroom and I can't ignore him so he falls asleep with us. However, when he wakes up he sings to us and says "TWO". He's definitly a morning baby. I can't believe it, it's helping me because I get up in the mornings and run on the treadmill because I am TRYING to lose weight. We will see what happens with that. I feel better by working out, but I don't see any drastic changes :(.

Aaron's birthday was Feb 18th. He turned 28. He says he's so old and tried to show me his gray hairs but I don't see any. LOL he's being so dramatic! I got him a IPOD Touch. I got it off Ebay so I got it for a KILLER price ... I'm a fabulous ebay shopper. I am currently bidding on a pair of steve madden boots for only 10.00. :) He had a good birthday, atleast I hope he did.
We went out of town yesterday and today to Seattle for his birthday. It was fun, but our plans kinda went south because I-5 was being worked on and it would've taken forever to get to Downtown Seattle. So, we just went to the mall instead and didn't buy anything (like always LOL). On Saturday night Aaron decided to take me to a part of Seattle where he served his mission (Renton) and I was scared for my life. The first thing that comes out of his mouth when we enter the area where he lived was, "at that house we met a guy who just got out of prision for murder." Ok, so that didn't sit well with me and also seeing the 10 cop cars that was making a permiter around a house because of some guy inside wasn't helping either. I can't believe he served in that area and talked to people there. It is quite scary and I wasn't too happy being over there. :(

So, that's pretty much it. Nothing else has happened in my life that is entertaining. I saw a good friend, Andrea on Saturday morning and I was so happy to see her. I miss her so much, and I wish I could see her more often. So, the end for now ...

Melissa

I know, I'm horrible ...

2009-01-24T10:23:00.001-08:00

I don't have time to blog anymore. My new scheduele at work is Tues-Thurs 8am -7pm and Fridays 8-5pm. I have Sat-Mon off, but I spend that either cleaning, doing laundry, looking for a beater car for Aaron, having a date night, church and spending family time together. I like have three days because I feel like I have more time to do stuff, but at the same time, I never do. It sucks. lol.

So what updates are there? Well, Aaron started school on Jan 5th and so far has loved it. Now a while ago I got a update saying Aaron only qualified for 1166.00 for a student loan for this semester. I was bummed because that means he was only allowed to take 3 classes because here in WA credit hours are 5, and in Utah it's 3 so I was always able to take more classes. Hmm, anyways so then the other day Aaron tells me that he actually had 2500 for this semester, spring and summer. So total of like 7500. I am like WHAT. I was really upset because he could've taken more classes but at the same time I feel like it was a blessing because we'll get that left over money back from this semester and we can use that to pay some debt we have. I found all this out after I had paid my tithing. I have come to realize the blessing you do truely get from paying.

Aaron and I were pretty inactive from church for a long time before we moved to WA. Not because we didn't believe the church was true, but a lot of different reasons. One, we didn't like the ward we were in. I didn't feel at all welcomed or even liked. Two, I had really REALLY bad post pardom depression and it took a lot for me to even want to get out of bed, so for me to make it to church, especially a ward I didn't feel comfertable in, was hard and Three Noah was a pain. He still is a pain but now I can drop him in nursery and be FREE for two hours. LOL. Now, I am not trying to give excuses for not going, we should have and I regret the many many months of our inactivity. However, now I am in a great ward (my home ward) and I feel so happy now. Anyways the point of this story was that I didn't pay tithing because we never attended and we had a lot of financial issues and I always wondered how we'd even make it through the month. Now that I am going back to church, I have paid my tithing and we getting blessing immediatly. Now I know to never ever take tithing for granted.

I went to this class last Monday called "Zumba" and it's my new favorite thing and if I could go everyday that it goes on I would do it, but I have to work. It's like a dance aerobic class. If you know me, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to dance. I haven't danced, really danced since I was 19ish. I am now almost 26 so this makes me relive my teenage years I guess. LOL.

Last Sunday was Ward Conference. I loved it, it was such a different experience then in Utah. Not that I am putting down Utah (ok I kinda am, I don't like Utah much, sorry to all those who do) but it's a different feeling for me. In my ward I am sitting with my husband during the last hour and they combined Priesthood and Relief Society for Pres. Fields and Pres. Washer to talk to us and before class starts Bro. Vail comes up to me and takes my picture for the ward directory. I don't remember talking to him much when I younger but I don't remember a lot. He told me that he was so happy that I was back in the ward. Then he said, "I loved your testimony, you know you really changed my life. " I was shocked and really humbled. That was so wonderful to say to me and I actually have gotten that a lot since I have been back. I lost a part of me when I left Washington, it's like I left my spirit behind when I moved. I feel like it's coming back, and I hope to finally feel like I belong again.

Now, I do miss parts of Utah. I miss some of the people, One of my best friends, Melissa. She was so important to me. I loved her. We hardly saw each other, due to my work, the drive, my depression and our schedueles but when we did I felt like I could be me. I truely miss my sister in law, Brooke. Again, we didn't see each other much unless a family get together and it was again, due to the same reasons as above but I felt like I could talk to her about anything and feel truley comforted. I miss my house and my wonderful neighbors, The Wells. They were truely some of the best people I have ever met and I miss them terribly. I miss our privacy because, as fun as it is living for free, it's NOT fun living with your parents again. I miss Cafe Rio and 1 dollar movies ... even the 5 dollar movies. I miss being able to run outside at night because it was lit ... here it's just pitch black. There's a lot more I miss but I'm not going to list it all.

Anyways, here are some pictures you may like ... enjoy.

my bestest friend, Sariah came to visit and made my whole year, I love seeing her and I wish she didn't live so far away.

me and my seester.

me and my love!

cute boy.

A lot to post!

2008-12-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

So, I have a lot to post.

I got a new job at Alliance One. My sister works there and I am a ... DEBT COLLECTOR! Dun dun dunnnnnn! So, if you have tickets or outstanding medical bills/college bills you better watch out ... I might come after ya! :) It's actually a really fun job for me. I don't mind it, my sister were like, oh you'll hate it and be so stressed cuz some people will call you every name in the book and yadda yadda yadda ... but I don't mind that. I worked in retail ... i have been called every name in the book. So, I actually do like going to work everyday and it's 8-5 M-F and benefits are ok.

Noah is doing so good. He started talking. He has said set, two and roll. It's so cute! :) Also, he's finally eating solid food. I mean, it's little by little, but he's actually swallowing whole food so I am so exciting to be getting rid of baby food eventually.

It snowed over here in Gig Harbor, WA this year. It was CRAZY. We got seriously 3 feet over here at my parents house. Now, I hate snow. Living in Idaho and then Utah has made me DREAD it. I hate driving in it and I really hate other people driving in it. Also, here in WA they don't plow like they do in Utah, so it's been terrible and I had to cancel my plans this weekend with Aaron to make up time from the days I couldn't go into work. So, it's been a pain, but kinda fun for Noah to play in.

Christmas was today! It was so fun. I got a Ipod Nano from Aaron. I asked for it, so it was nice. He had a friend already download songs on it. It was so nice! :) I also got a camera and some work out clothes and some other stuff. Noah had fun with his airplane that his Aunt Cee Cee got him. It was such a fun morning and now we've just been chillin all day waiting for dinner. Then we will do Gingerbread houses. SOOOO fun! :)

Just Sharing ...

2008-11-30T21:48:00.001-08:00

I just got done reading a blog from a old friend. I don't want to say I had no idea for his other feelings for the same sex, but at the same time, I wanted to avoid it. One reason, when I was younger I was so hung up on him. I would go to all my church dances to see him, and go to his house so I could be around him (and his family because they were my lifeline at the time), so OF COURSE I would never think that of him, EVER. Anyways, back in 2004 some people told me of his coming out and I kept thinking how much he must be hurting and needing someone. I didn't know how to get ahold of him, and eventually let it drift away, but I was always think about him and how I wasn't the friend I should've been. After reading his blog just now, I can really understand what he went through, and through the love of our Savior he was forgiven. He inspires me.

I'm currently struggling with obstacles of my own. We left Utah to move to Washington to, of course, be with my family so they can get to know Noah but also because of financial difficulities. Not having my own space, my own house anymore kills me inside. I feel like a failure and worthless. Also, for the past 18 months I have been very inactive from church. I don't want to blame it on my son, but in the beginning it was because being new parents and trying to juggle it all was a lot of pressure. Then post pardum depression hit me and I sometimes didn't want to move. Then, it was just easy to blow off church and do something else. I feel like a hypocrite and I get comments from people all the time about how much of a strong influence I was to their lives when I was younger and what a great testimony I had. I don't think I've born my testimony for over 3 years now. Also, I am not skinny. I know that is stupid, but it's not stupid to me. I have a wierd perception of myself and it all stems from my eating disorder that I had for so many years of my life. I wish I could explain, but you wouldn't understand unless you have been there and gone through it.

Why am I writing all this? I don't know. I guess I'm tired of hiding it. I hide so much of my feelings that it eventually boils over and I have anxiety attacks. I guess I'm asking some people to help me with my inactivity, and be there and be a support. I guess I'm saying things aren't always what they seem.

However, I know that my Savior loves me, and eventually I'll learn to love myself.

Melissa

Two Posts in One Day ... what??

2008-11-29T07:45:00.001-08:00

OK, so I know it's stupid but I wanted to give one post to Thanksgiving and the other one to Twilight ... so that it didn't seemed rushed or that I was making one things more important then the other (Twilight isn't more important then my family). This year was hard for me. Aaron is down in Utah for the next 24 days and didn't spend Thanksgiving with me. This is the first time we've been apart like this since we were dating. I honestly thought I could handle it because, unlike Aaron, I can be OK with being by myself ... but NOT FOR A MONTH AND 3 WEEKS. I miss him everyday and it's hard with Noah. I give props to those single mothers, or mom/dads that are raising families while their spouses are away (Iraq, business, pilot, etc). It's so hard to do it by yourself. I have my family, yes, but it's different. I can't help but feel guilty asking for their help. Anyways, Thanksgiving this year was different. I felt like it was just anther day, but my mom cooked all day. I decided to go running in the morning with Noah and went to PHS track. OK, so when did they decide to lock the gates to the track? I think that is RIDICULOUS and I am so mad about it. Since taxpayers paid to have that track rebuilt it should be available to the public ... DUMB! So, I went in Gig Harbor to run and low and behold there is some 5K going on (Turkey trot?) and I am driving almost running over people. MY BAD! Anyways, that was pretty much the highlight of my day, LOL. It was only my mom, dad, sister and Noah and I for dinner too, so it was quiet and weird most of the time. My mom then went to the ER because my dad thought she was having a heart attack, nice huh? She just has pneumonia and polarise (a condition in which your lungs get way infected and enlarged). She's OK, but doesn't feel well.

So, I hope everyone had a great holiday. I am excited for Christmas. I wish was in my own house but life throws you curve balls I guess.

Melissa

P.S. Below are some pics of Noah and above is a pic of me with my new hair (it turned out more gold then blond). Enjoy

FINALLY ...

2008-11-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

..... I saw Twilight. Guess what? I LOVED it. I was skeptial because I've heard good things and then bad things. Granted there were bad things and during the movie I did laugh because the special effects were soooo funny. I was thinking though, how come this character, Edward, makes everyone so crazy? I mean, I am not going to lie, I get caught up in the moment too, but he's a ficitious charater that a woman came up with, right? So of course he's perfect! :) I am just disappointed that this movie was only 2 hours long. I would've stayed for 3 hours, and they could've developed the relationship more, and certain parts made it longer but oh well. It's just the next movie will get a higher budget and it will be so much better, but it's all about Jacob (which I have to admit, the charater for Jacob is pretty darn cute) and I just wasn't into that as much as the Edward and Bella plot. Anyways, I know pretty much everyone has seen it so what was your favortie part? Of course one of mine was when they kissed. Oh Twilight ... I'm going to go read the book again. :):):)

Melissa

Husband Tag

2008-11-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

1. Where did you first meet your husband? We met on the internet (LDS Mingle). I was going to BYU Idaho at the time and he lived in Sandy. I was absolutly not looking to date anyone (I actually sworn off dating the day before) and he wanted to meet me. Why not? He had to come to me though, and he did and it went on from there.

2. How long did you date before you got married? We dated 7 months and then were engaged for 6 months.

3. How long have you been married? We've been married for 4 1/2 years

4. What does he do to surprise you? LOL ... just little things. He knows I am obsessed with US magazine and he'll go out of his way to buy one for me (but he doesn't realize I usually already have the issue). It's sweet.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His eyes.

6. What is your favorite quality? He's a really great dad. He's also very caring to me. He definitly has a sensitive side (shush don't tell)

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Pretty

8. What is his favorite food? ice cream, but it usually doesn't agree with him (he's lactose intolarant, but he doesn't care)

9. What is his favorite sport? football or running

10. When and where did you first kiss? We kissed in the park in Rexburg Idaho

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? lol just watch movies. We don't do a whole ton cuz Noah keeps us pretty busy.

12. Do you have any children? Yes, our almost 18 month old, Noah

13. How old is he? 27

14. What is his favorite music? Alternative stuff

15. What is his favorite color? it used to be yellow ... but he doesn't really tell me his favorite anymore

16. Will he read this? nope. :)

I tag whomever

Some new updates.

2008-11-09T10:26:00.001-08:00

So, it's been a busy 2 weeks. We moved from Utah to Washington on October 25th. It was a gruling 14-15 hour car ride, but I actually made good time. Thank heavens for our in dash dvd player for Noah. I'm not sure if it wouldn't have been as smooth without it. However, my back and butt and neck and shoulders and everything was in major pain. I left my husband in the dust with the moving van because he was going way too slow. I mean, like, 55 miles per hour slow. If I would've stayed with him it would've taken us 5 plus more hours to get to Washington. He only arrived 1 1/2 after me though, so he made good time. We spent a fabulous week together and then he left on Sunday Nov 2nd to go back to Utah to work until Dec 20th. I miss him a lot. It's been very hard on me without him. Truthfully, I thought I would be able to handle it. We did this exact same thing when we were dating for 3 months, so I thought it wasn't that bad. Well, now we are married and have a son so it's different. I think Noah is having a major hard time as well, but he can't tell me that's why he's sad, I just assume.

I'm sorry but no Halloween pictures. We just didn't do anything about it this year. One, I couldn't find a costume that Noah would like. He doesn't like hats or anything on his head and most costume for babies have a hood with some sort of creature on it. Two, he doesn't even know what Halloween means, so it can save us on money and time to take him out (and save me weight gain from the candy) and Three, Aaron and I spent some quality time together that night. I am thinking Noah may like Halloween next year, but if he doesn't then that is ok too. Halloween was never a favorite holiday of mine so I'm not looking forward to the days of trick or treating.

I am working at the very first job I'd ever got, Merrill Gardens. Now, I have an interview with a company my sister works with AllianceOne. I will always love Merrill Gardens because it was a very fun job when I worked there a long time ago, but now I'm older and it's hard on my back and feet to do that all day. I also feel like I don't have as much to do as I used to, and I don't feel it's as orgainized as it once was. Also, dress code has changed and I'm supposed to get black shoes and we wear long sleeves ... in a hot kitchen! I hate it. I also don't get paid nearly enough and I was promised full time when I got there and now they can't give it to me until January. I have really wanted to work an 8-5 job and this is 11-7. So, hopefully I will get this other job, then I don't have to get my food handlers permit.

I've been running every morning and eating better. I really have been avoiding temptation and I'm proud of myself (anthor bad reason to work at Merrill Gardens, food is everywhere!). I don't know if I've lost weight. I really want to be down 20lbs before Aaron gets back, but I don't know if it's happening. How do people on the biggest loser do it so fast! :(

Anyways, those are the updates. I'll post pictures soon. I packed my camera charger and I can't find it at the moment. When i do, I can take pics and post them.

Melissa

Almost the day!

2008-10-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am moving this Saturday. I feel like NOTHING is done, when in all actuality it's coming around great. I am just worried I won't get stuff done and then Aaron will have to do it, and let's face it, it won't get done if I leave it to him to do it. So, currently I have some stress on my shoulders. Also, Aaron's car broke down a week before the move. :( So he HAS to quit his job at FED EX, when that money was gonna help with school. So, now there is more stress. BLAH.

So, I am just packing and trying to gather stuff up for D.I. runs. Hopefully it can be all taken care of and we can leave at our schedueled time (5am) on Saturday morning. I'm a little worried because I'm driving with Noah while Aaron is driving by himself in the truck. I NEVER EVER drive that long by myself. For one, I HATE driving. Everytime we go on a road trip I sleep while Aaron drives. I also can't drive when it gets dark out. My eyes become itchy and tired so I have to take out my contacts, and if I wear my glasses while driving it makes me more sleepy. I just hope we can get to WA by 8 or 9pm. Then the next day we have to get up and unload the truck. I am getting some people telling me they want to help, but .... I don't know if it will really happen. We honestly don't have that much stuff, but my father just had stomach surgery and I don't know how much he is going to help ... and I don't want him to if it hurts him.

I'm also a tinsey bit sad to move all of a sudden. Utah has been my home for almost 6 years now. It's going to be wierd living with my parents again, and being in Washington again. We will see how it goes. I hope well.

Here's some pics of Noah ....

Quirks of Melissa

2008-10-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Definition of quirk: n.
1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy:

"Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe.

2. An unpredictable or unaccountable act or event; a vagary: a quirk of fate.

Rules: Link the Person who Tagged you.

Mention rules on your blog. Tell about 6 quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment to let them know.

#1. If someone takes a picture of me I have to look at it and if it doesn't look right the picture has to be taken again and again until it looks decent.

#2. When I shower I have to shampoo and then rinse right away. After I put in conditioner and then I have to wash my face, shave my legs and then wash my body with body wash. I can't do a different routine, or I have to start over (I sometimes don't shave my legs so I can save time).

#3. If I write a letter I sometimes have to write and rewrite until my handwriting is perfect.

#4. If I don't listen to certain song everyday my day doesn't seem the same.

#5. I always have to have a blanket on me, even when it's hot ... or a pillow.

#6. When I put on perfume I have to spray on my wrists and then put my wrists behind my ears and under my knees. In that order.

I tag Leslie, Melissa, Brooke, Janelle, Lorraine and Brie

Some updates ..

2008-10-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well,we are only 14 days away from our adventure in moving to Washington. Is it silly for me to be scared? I mean, it's my hometown! I haven't lived in Washington since 2001, almost 8 years. I have mostly everything packed here and all the rooms cleaned and we took all of our crap to the D.I. (goodwill) yesterday. Our neighbors (whom I will miss because they are so wonderful) came by and looked through our garage and bought a bunch of stuff and gave us $100. I was like, um, we were going to take this the D.I. so you can just have it. He was persistant so I took it. I feel bad, but he said he felt bad cuz he felt like he was robbing me. LOL. So we are on our way ... and I'm nervous.

Noah is doing great! I think he's teething again because he's drooling like mad and has a real runny nose. So, he keeps getting up in the middle of the night WAILING. If anyone has any tips to help him that would be great. Sometimes he won't go back to bed and I have to turn on Finding Nemo and he will watch it and then go back to bed. I just want him to sleep through the night and he won't :(.

He is climbing up and down stairs now. I know ... he's almost 17 months and he just learned. We didn't have stairs that he could learn on. Well, we do,but we spend our time upstairs and not downstairs so he never learned. At the places I nannied I had to block the stairs because I couldn't spend my time teaching him when I had to watch the other kids. So, now he knows I feel so relieved. He also claps and waves bye bye. He's so cute. :)

That's it for now!

Melissa

It's Offical

2008-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

We're moving. Yup after not living in Washington for 7 years I will be moving back! I am moving at the end of October and Aaron will stay in Utah until the end of December. He will be going back to school and I will be working. We will be living with my parents, so that will be quite different. I am excited but also feeling very nervous. I haven't lived in Washington for so long and I moved away for stupid reasons to begin with. We have actually known we were going ot move for quite sometime but we weren't sure on the exact date. Now since we are having a lot of issues with our home we have decided it is time to leave. We can't afford it here without help. I don't have any insurance by doing the nanny thing and it costs too much for aaron to put me on his. I already have a job lined up in Washington and I can have me, Aaron and Noah insured. Aaron will be able to go to school, as he wouldn't here in Utah. Well, he would but it would be part time and would take forever. UGH. So, anyways, that's the news.

Melissa

2008-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Brooke so here it goes:

3 Joys

1. Aaron and Noah 2. Scrapbooking 3. Swimming

3 Fears

1. death 2. spiders 3. getting fatter

3 Obsessions

1. cleaning 2. Twilight Series 3. checking the computer too often

3 Surprising Facts

1. I love to cross stitch 2. I love working, even though I complain, I like staying busy 3. I like salamanders, I wish I had one.

I tag Leslie, Claudia and Sariah

What is his name? Aaaron
How long did you date? 1 years
How long have you been married? 4 1/2 years.
Who is taller? Aaron
Who eats more? Aaron
Who is the better singer? Aaron
Who does the laundry? Me, I don't think Aaron even knows where the laundry machine is
Who pays the bills? Me again
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
Who mows the lawn? Aaron, I don't know how to
Who cooks dinner? Me usually, when I cook
Who drives? When we are together, aaron does. I hate to drive
Who is more stubborn? both of us
Who kissed who first? I kissed Aaron
Who asked who out? It was a mutual thing
Who proposed? Aaron
Who is more sensitive? I am
Who has more siblings? Aaron
Who wears the pants? lol .. depends on the day I guess.

I tag Ashley, Janelle and Andrea

Sittin Pretty!

2008-09-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

So Noah has started to like sitting on chairs. I think it's so cute. We've tried to find a chair for him that is a reasonable price but we can't find one. We do have a children's Poang chair from Ikea which he likes ok. Here's a few pictures (He likes to make funny faces when I take pictures of him .. )

He's so cute.

Lately Noah has been waking up in the middle of the night crying and then won't go back to bed. He used to do it and go back to sleep so I thought it was night terrors ... and now sometimes he wakes at 3am and stays up all day. He won't even take a nap. He'll just cry and cry. It's annoying and tiring.

Anyways, I am done reading the Twilight Series. I gotta say ... the only book I really liked was Twilight. Breaking Dawn was very disappointing to me. I heard the there was anthor book called Midnight Sun that I guess won't be published because it got leaked. I would've loved that book because it was similar to Twilight but Edwards version. I still think it should be published but oh well.

Melissa

UH OH

2008-09-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I am starting to obsess about the Twilight books. I even have dreams about vampires. What the .... ???!!!???

Twilight Series

2008-09-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was really against reading these books for a long time. One, I am NOT a reader. I don't think I've read a book for the last 5 years I've been with aaron (not counting pregnancy books, I felt OBLIGATED to read those). Two, people here talk about these characters as if they are real. I seriously have to laugh about it. One of my good friends, Melissa, always tells me how much she "loves" Edward. I am always like, "you know he's a fictional character, right?" I just think it's amusing because I've never been that way in books.

So, anways, Aaron bought me the book Tori Spelling wrote, So Nortorious (which is a really good book) and I read it in two days. He was amazed because I never read. He was really interested in me reading the Twilight books. He finally bought me the first book and I was hesitant. I have to really REALLY like a book to read it all. If it doesn't interest me, then forget it. I am surprised by how captivating the first book was. I read it in two days. (now, I read fast, but i also skip boring parts. If there is a part that doesn't strike my interest or it goes on for way too long I can't read it. Maybe that's wierd but I can get the gist of the book without have to bore myself to death)

So, Aaron bought me the second book of the series, New Moon, and I was so eager to read it. I was actually sick the day after he got it so I spent the entire day reading it. Ok, so I am not so fond of the second book as I was with the first. The first is about vampires and the second about warewolves. I actually had to skip a lot because it was so long and drawn out. It was so boring to me, but still intriging enough for me to finish it in one day.

I borrowed Eclipse and Breaking Dawn from my sister in law, Breann, and I just finished Eclipse and I was happier with that book, but also it was predicitable to me. Now I am reading Breaking Dawn and so far so good.

The only thing about these books is that they're SO DESCRIPTIVE. I would have to say that these books are rated PG-13. LOL. I would still have to say I like the first book better out of the last two ... but they are still very intersting and I am surprised of how into them I am.

Anyways, that's my life these days, being a book worm. I guess I am catching up for all the years I was a horrible student in high school.

Melissa

FURIOUS!

2008-08-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me ... fool me three times, I'm a idiot!

My old boss(Tricia, the mom of the children I USED TO nanny) paid me over a $1000 for my work for the last couple of times I watched her children. I look at my account today and guess what? My check bounced that she gave me. NO GOOD! She did that to me last time she paid me, and the first time she ran into my car and when she paid for the damages then the check bounced. I just don't know what to do. I paid a lot of bills and now we seriously only have $23 in our account that is suppose to last us until the 1st. HA. I am soooooooooo angry I don't even know what to do. You might say, " Well go to her work." Yeah I've done that. She's never there when I arrive and I am not going to wait around all day. I also nanny during the day for a new family and I don't have time to do that. If this doesn't get cleared up by tomorrow, I am taking her to small claims. This is ridiculous. I should've known better. I just figured since she works for a new company she wouldn't be giving me bad checks anymore. I guess that is what I get from a woman who thinks buying a new IPHONE is more important then paying her debt. :(

I don't know why money is such a struggle right now for us. I feel like when we finally get above water ... we sink down again. :(

I'm really depressed.

Melissa

Noah's new shoes

2008-08-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

I bought Noah some croc sandals today. His feet are soooo wide he can't fit into regular shoes. I put these on him (a size 6/7) and he walks around just great. Here is a pic and a video:

New Hair, Noah's Boo Boo, new Nanny Job, and me writing a book (WHAT!)

2008-08-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

So I have a lot to blog about:

I quite my previous nanny job because it was way too stressful on my life. The kids were not behaved and abusive. I had pliars thrown at my face. I was also told that they were going to tell their parents that I was hitting them. I was appalled and when I tried to discuss this with their parents they started accusing me of really beating their children. I never felt as if I could express my concern for my well being or health and how things could be different. I was with their kids 9 or more hours a day 5 days a week. They'd call me and ask me to come clean their homes on weekends. I was suppose to do errands for them and watch their dogs when they went out of town and didn't expect to pay me or not pay me enough. It was horrible. When I called and gave my two weeks they started to say that I was hitting their kids and abusing them and that their son, Cole, never started to talk about his private parts until I came around. I was angry and I told them I wouldn't be coming back at all, and I don't appreciate that I was treated this way after everything I have done for them. I hope they get anthor nanny and she doesn't put up with the crap that I put up with.

So I got a new nanny job. The couple is still married (previous one was divorced so I was always in the middle of their arguments anyways) and they listen to me when I tell them about situations. I also can sit down and discuss better ways to do my job and what we can do together and it's just nice and don't leave angry. I don't come home and tell Aaron how much I hate it, I don't even discuss it. It's awesome.

So before I started my new nanny job I had two weeks off. It made me realize how much I hated just staying at home. Aaron's mother gave me this coupon book last year for Christmas and I haven't used any of it and it expires on Sept 1st. So I went and got hair cut and hair coloring. It's an inverted bob in the back and longer in the front. I really like it. I just always have to do my hair ... or it will look wierd. Here's a couple of pics :

Noah got hurt on Monday. The kids I nanny were playing on a little bed and Noah was standing next to it holding onto the side rail. He was laughing at them and jumping and his feet slid underneath him and he hit his nose on the rail. I freaked out and thought he might have broken his nose. After about 45 min of crying I turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and he calmed down and then took a nap. I took him to instacare and the doctor said that he didn't think it was broken but since at their age their noses is just cartiledge it's hard to tell. He said that after the swelling has gone down to look and see if there is a kink in the nose. He also said his teeth looked wonderful :).

Here are some pics of his accident:

So, I started writing a book. Yes, I'm actually writing a book. It's kinda theraputic, and my therapist told me I can deal with a lot of feelings or past traumatic events by writing them down. I went through a lot of things growing up and not a lot of people understand. I suffered through horrible eating disorders for 6 years of my life. Unless you go through it you don't fully understand the mental and phsyical damage it does to you. It lives with you for your whole live. I definitly don't look like I have an eating disorder now, but I think about it everyday. There's more to the book then just that, kinda an auto biografical type of thing, but we'll see how it goes. I've wanted to do this for a few years, I just start and then stop.

So here's anthor pic of Noah:

go Utes!

My day yesterday

2008-08-05T09:14:00.001-07:00

So, this weekend I got wonderful news. I got a new nanny job that starts in two weeks! So, I quit with the evil nanny job I have now. I told the parents on Saturday and they told me some stuff that I was really upset with. The started accusing me of theft and hitting their children and some other things. I was going to work for them for the next two weeks but I felt so uncomfertable that I just didn't go back. Which is fine, I am not going to use them as a reference anyways. I thought to myself well I have NBO to fall back on and i can just work a little bit more hours this week and next week before I start.

Well, Monday I was cleaning the house and playing with Noah and I was also talking to my mom on the phone when I get a phone call from my boss at NBO. I answer the phone and she gives me bad news: I was laid off. :( So, I kinda knew this was coming because the company is actually not doing well fiancially, but I was hoping I would be able to quit before getting laid off. I was soooooooo upset. This is part of my income and it's gone. I am not really sure what we are going to do now. I contemplating going back to Garts and working p/t at night but that would be my very very very last resort. I don't want to be working in retail again. Well, atleast that kind of retail. Where they stay until midnight or 1am because they weren't prepared for an audit or a visit, or I have to work every single holiday.
We want to move to Washington but our house is keeping us here. If things keep going like this we won't be able to afford a house payment anymore :(. I'm just really depressed and I feel like things keep going downhill for us. I thought it was going up because I got this new nanny job, but that's not how things are going.

Ugh.

sprinkler time!

2008-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Noah just loves water. Here he is having fun at the nanny job I have.

haha. He's so funny. Here's some random ones I took. I just love the one where he's smiling cuz you can see all his teethies!

I just love my son!

Melissa

Reflections

2008-07-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading some of my friend's blogs regarding their pregnancies and when they went into labor. I started thinking about my experience and thought I would share it with you.

So it was May 29th, 2007. I was working at The Sport's Authority in the morning, and so miserable. I couldn't stand or sit without being in pain. A lot of people were telling me it was back labor and I was like, great. I am going to have back labor and that is horrible (I read about it and dreaded it!). I left work early and went to a schedueled doctor's appointment and told my doctor (who was the best and I will surely miss him when I eventually have anthor!) that I was in so much pain. I was even dialated yet though. I wasn't sure what a contraction felt like and was afriad I wouldn't know when I was having a baby. So, Dr. Susanka said for me to just go to the hospital tomorrow morning at 6:00 and tell them I was having back labor/pain. He would come in at 7:30am and break my water for me. LOL. yeah it is cheating but oh well. So, Aaron and I got ready the night before and had a good nights sleep ... kind've. I was in so much pain I really couldn't sleep. We got there around 6:10am on May 30th 2007, and the nurse was nice but told me that I wasn't dialated or anything I was worried they would send me away before my doctor got there. He arrived at 7:30 and broke my water. Theb nurse got a little mad and asked me if the doctor had asked me to come in and he'd break my water. I told her no, which was a lie, but I didn't want to get him in trouble and what was the big deal anways?
So, I was waiting and the nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural before the guy went into a C-Section. I wasn't sure ... I didn't want one too early and I wasn't having any contractions yet. They had given me the pitocin earlier and I asked how long it would take to have effect. She said, "Oh you aren't very far along so it will be a while. " Ok, so she must have been on crack because it only took 45 min and I was having contractions every 2 minutes and they were the most painful things I have ever experience. I was crying and bawling to aaron. He felt bad for me but, of course, couldn't do anything. It was about noon and the guy was still doing the C-Section so I couldn't get the drugs. Dr. Susanka came in and asked why I hadn't gotten the epidural and I said it wasn't my fault that they guy wasn't available. :(
My sis in law came and held my hand (she was there while I had the epidural because Aaron couldn't handle the big needle) and FINALLY around 2pm I got my epidural. I was having contractions for 5 hours! You'd think I would have dialated but nope, I went from nothing to 3 cm. I was horrified that I would be in labor for 30 hours. After I got the drugs I felt wonderful and watched Over the Hedge and tried to sleep. About 5pm I started feeling a lot of pressure like I had to poop and I remembered that was what they said in a book I read that you are almost ready to have a baby. I called the nurse and she checked me and said I was ready at 10 cm. I was like wow! I went from a 3 to a 10 in only 3 hours. That epidural is a amazing! The only problem was, Aaron left to get his phone charger from home (we only live 15 min away, but it was during traffic). I was scared he was going to miss the birth of his own son! I started pushing and Aaron finally arrived around 5:30. He doesn't do well with blood and all that so he was having a hard time, but held his own. I only pushed for 25 min and little Noah was born. He's so amazing and I look at him and he's so independant and on his own now... just a year ago he couldn't hold his head up. It's amazing ... what a gift.

Melissa

dumb job!

2008-07-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so a lot of people know how much I HATE my nanny job. I've been interviewing for other jobs but nothing so far. I am tired of how bad they treat me. Here's the latest for today ...

I checked my Wells Fargo account online today because I check it everyday. I am a big stickler on money and I have to know every penny that is spent and sometimes money is taken out of my account that isn't accounted for. My finance class taught me that. It's good to keep a checkbook, but you need to check your account daily to make sure there isn't suspicious acitivity.

So, I am looking and my account balance is really low for just putting money in there. I see that there is a returned item check for $280.00 and a fee for $10.00. I am like, what the heck? So I call to see what it is, and guess what? The check that Tricia (the mom of the kids) gave me bounced for insufficent funds. I KNEW that this would happen! She struggles with money constantly and when she hit my car and had to pay $3000 to fix it, her check bounced then too. I am just so fed up. This is ridiculous don't you think?

Melissa

Why not me!!!??!!!

2008-07-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

So many friends of mine are becoming Camp Directors for Girl's Camp. Why can't I get that calling? No one understands how much I LOVED LOVED LOVED girl's camp. I hope when I move back to Washington they will remember me and call me to it. Then maybe they will just give me that calling permenantly for a long time :) ... people might think I am crazy but if you knew me when I went to girl's camp you'd understand.

Melissa

Update

2008-07-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

So, here's the news this past month ...

Noah started walking. He's sooo cute. He walks everywhere now and just loves it more then crawling. We got him some shoes yesterday and he is not fond of them but he'll deal.

We are in the process of selling our home. Bad news: We refinanced 7 months ago and our house appraised at $200,000 and now because the market is so bad and people are forclosing our house is worth $187,000 and we refianced at $192,000 so we are $5,000 upsidedown. Yeah it's a bit depressing and makes me really angry. I shouldn't have to suffer because of this. I would have never done the refi if I know this would happen. There is options but our realator doesn't seem to really care about us at the moment and urgency of us wanting to sell. :(

We got rid of our big pine tree and our Juniper trees outside our home. It's looks soooo much better. We are now watering our lawn and grass is growing. I love it.

I am still nannying the horrible family. I wish I didn't have to but it's an income that I need right now. The latest thing my horrible boss has done is accuse me of lying about being sick, and tell me that I need to be more flexible with her scheduele (if she needs me to stay later) even if she tells me on short notice. They take advantage of me so much and I feel like I can't do anything and they know it because I need this job and need the income. However, I am really close to just quitting and making it through with just NBO for the time being. I would rather work at Garts then this nanny job and that's a lot to say because I HATED Garts.

Aaron has lost 30 lbs and I am sooo jealous. People tell me, oh you can lose weight too ... but with what time? I work from 7 - 5 or 6 Mon-Fri and then work P/T at NBO Mon-Thurs at night and Saturday during the day. The free time I have is to clean my house and sleep. I just need to lose that much to be happy with my body. I'll get to it ... I guess i have to be more determined.

That's my (our) life in a nutshell right now. I would post pictures but I am too lazy ... lol. Next time I will.

Melissa

Why did I choose this?

2008-06-09T19:40:00.001-07:00

Why did I become a nanny? I thought it would be so wonderful to be with Noah, see him grow and do the many achievements he's done. Now I totally regret it. Now don't get me wrong ... I LOVE LOVE LOVE being with Noah and being with him everyday but I cannot stand this family I nanny for. They are so inconsistent I can't stand it. In the beginning it was all hunky dory and now, I am always in trouble for things that aren't even my fault. Like last week the mom told me to tell her 12 year old daughter she couldn't have boys a lone in her room. I went upstairs and told the boys they couldn't be in her room and they all went outside (the daughter was playing out there). You'd think ... hmmm they are going to play with thier friend. Nope they decided to leave and say that I kicked them out! NOT TRUE! Then the mom yelled at me saying I was rude to them, and I didn't know how to handle kids. What the ....!!!! I was doing what I was told by the mother!

I am sick of doing everything for them and not getting what I deserve. I clean their homes, run their errands, take care of their kids, make them breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner and it's like ... whatever Melissa, this is just expected now. I've been trying to find something else for a while but it doesn't look too good. I shouldn't have went p/t at my billing job ... I just wanted to be around for when Noah took his first everything (steps! He took his first steps last Tuesday ... it was sooo soooo cute!) I just don't know what to do ... and I am fed up. ugh. I just want to go up to these disrespectful people and tell them how horrible they are as people. How they need to live up to thier word. I am not the MAID, or the PERSONAL ASSISTANT or the BANK. I am just the nanny and that is what I am supposed to be paid for. I shouldn't have to give your kids money to do what they want. You should supply me with money if you want them to get/do stuff. I could really go on and on and on on how horrible these people are.

I wish I could have made a better choice ... now I feel like I am stuck with this until we move.

Melissa

Noah's transformation

2008-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Look how much Noah has grown!

Noah 3 months old

Noah 1 year old.

They grow so fast!

Noah's 1 year pictures and my Birthday!

2008-05-23T07:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a few pictures we got taken of Noah for his 1 year pics. SO CUTE!

Noah and Me

My 25th birthday was yesterday. Aaron and I went to Seattle and got a citypass and went to the EMP center, the Aquarium, and the Pacific Science Center. Then we went to Pikes Pl Market and then to the Cheesecake Factory. It was very fun and I had a good time. We were going to see a movie but I was exhausted! I have been reflecting a lot on my life and it's had it ups and downs but I am thankful for all I've been through.

Noah's birthday party is on Saturday. He doesn't offically turn one until the 30th but he's having a party in Washington and in Utah. It should be interesting! Well more later.

Melissa

Mother's Day

2008-05-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

So this was my first offical Mother's Day and I wasn't into it being so "special" I just wanted a day. I did tell Aaron to get me a gift because he would expect that on Father's Day so I should expect ATLEAST a card on Mother's Day. I even told him where to go. I never wear jewlery but there is this CUTE jewlery store by where I nanny and I told him to go there and pick me out something. It's not expensive but he didn't know what to pick and thought I would hate everything. He told me he'd take me there (YEAH RIGHT) and we'd pick out something together. Well, I had to work at my p/t job on Saturday so him and Noah went shopping for Mother's Day gifts for his mom and me.
Mother's Day arrives and I was certain that Aaron would make me get up with Noah (he does every night, no joke), but he got up with him and made me breakfast (smacks cereal, it was the thought that counts right? :) ), and I opened my gifts. He got me this wickless candle thing and a picture frame. It was sweet and I had a good Mother's Day. I don't always expect him to get me stuff all the time for holidays because I don't really care but it was my first Mother's Day and it was kinda special to me.

I know some of you didn't have good Mother's Days. I am sorry, but don't give the guy so much crap. Seriously their brains don't handle these things well. :)

Melissa

Noah taking his bath

2008-05-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Noah's favorite part of the night is bath time. He loves playing in his bath, even when it isn't even bathtime. He hasn't gone into the big bath yet because we don' t have a stopper that fits.

Noah is turning one 20 days. I cannot believe how time flies. We are going to Washington in 9 days to celebrate with my family and friends there.

It was this time last year that I was 9 1/2 month preggo, one big blimp, and hating every minute. I was afraid of not loving Noah and being a bad mom. We were also having major money issues at the time too. I was still working at Gart's and wondering if this was how my life was going to be. Now I am in the process of getting our house up for sale and moving to Washington. I am also a nanny and working p/t as an accounting clerk. Somedays are harder then others, especially with my depression, but things are looking looking better each day. Noah is standing all by himself now. His favorite things to do is go to the grocery store and ride in the carts, take baths and play in his room or in the bathroom. I am so lucky to have my family and to have Noah when we did. It makes us less selfish. More later.

Melissa

Should this really be called "Noah's Blog?"

2008-04-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

So Noah decided that it would be fun to get into our DVDs. They aren't really out of his reach so I guess that is our fault. Anyways, he was entertained and wasn't getting hurt so I just let him play. Honestly at that moment if he wasn't crying or being clingy I am happy that he is being happy. It was really funny that he thought it was so fun. He sat there for a good 45 minutes playing with all of the DVD cases. Hopefully this isn't a regular occurance or we have to put our DVDs in our bedroom.

I love Noah.

Today was a fun day for Aaron and myself. We went to the spa and had a couple's massage, then we went and did some shopping (I didn't get anything but Aaron got a new driver for golfing). Then we went to lunch and got some ice cream for dessert. It was so nice to be together without Noah, but I have to admit that I missed him. We got home around 4pm and then had to rush and pick up the BMW cuz it was done being fixed ($500 dollars later! happy anniversary to me!). Now we have to do some repairs to the Toyota but we have a friend who works on cars so he will do stuff for us and give us a good deal. Also I am switching out my tires. I don't know who had the car before we got it but they made it like a sports car and put sport tires on it. It sucks to drive in bad weather and I can't handle it well. Aaron can take the sport tires if he wants to.

Anyways, that is our life. :)

Melissa

2008-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

When I have had a bad day, I look at Noah and he just melts my heart! :)

He's grown soo sooo sooo much. He is learning and maturing so much more then ever. Everyone asks what his first word was ... and even though he has no idea what he said, it was daa daa (dad). I don't really tell anyone that he has said his first word because I want to know he understands that daa daa is dad.

Our car (BMW) is leaking raditor fluid. It was just a little leak but now it's MASSIVE! I came home and there was a spot that was almost 2 feet long! So, now we have to shell out probably 700 dollars to get that fixed! :(

Aaron and I's anniversary was yeterday (17th) and we did NOTHING! I got home and I wasn't feeling well at all! I cleaned the kitchen and then layed down for a long time. I had a bad headache. Aaron came home and made dinner (fettachi alfredo, bread and salad). We watched Juno which was a good movie. It was touching. We are celebrating our actual anniversary Saturday, 19th. We are getting a couple's massage, and then going out to lunch. Maybe getting a couple of gifts for each other.

More anthor day ...

Melissa

My life ...

2008-04-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

So this is how I spend my days:

Mon - Thurs
I get up take care of Noah at 3am because for some odd reason he likes to wake up and stay up. :(
I go and nanny 2 obnoxious kids (they aren't THAT bad, they are just kids, and not my kids so it's hard) between 7:30 and 8:30 to about 4:30 or 5:00
I drop Noah off with Aaron and then go and work 5:30 - 9:30 at NBO.
Come home and pick up everything that Aaron doesn't clean up from Noah (can we say LAZY)
Get ready for bed

Friday
Again, get up and take care of Noah super early
Nanny
Then you'd think, oh she has a day off from NBO she can rest but that's not the case
I come and clean because I am a maid in my house obviously
Then I make dinner, do dishes, feed Noah, give Noah a bath, get him ready for bed, then I finally eat dinner Then maybe just maybe I can watch a show I want to watch (it's not likely if Aaron's home) and not Yo Gabba Gabba, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or something else that is a "toon"

Saturday
I again get up early with Noah
I go to work at NBO from 8 - 5 (unless I get off early cuz I have nadda to do)
I come home and clean the house more because if I don't do it we'd live in a dump.
Then I get Noah ready for bed again

Sunday
Day of rest? Yeah I wish. Aaron and I switch Sundays to sleep in, but really it is when he is tired of watching Noah and he brings Noah and and puts him on top of me in the bed.

Can you see I am bitter? I am just venting but I wish I wasn't treated like a maid. I got super depressed before because I was feeling like I couldn't control anything and nothing was perfect. I wish someone could just understand my feelings sometimes ... :(

so sleepy

2008-04-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today has been a busy day for us (mostly Noah). It was conference weekend and I feel so good about it because it was basically the first weekend I have been able to sit and watch all of conference. Noah is so much more independent now. He will crawl into his room and play for hours. It's nice for us because we can sit and relax and not have to always occupy him. I, of course, go in and check on him often because it gets quite after a while and I wonder what's he's up to, but he's just sitting or standing and playing with his toys. I wonder what he thinks when he is playing. :) Today (Sunday) the only nap Noah took was at 6:45am - 8:15am. He has been up ever since then. I tried to give him a nap after we went to Aaron's parent's house for a birthday celebration but he was not wanting to. Aaron had to go to Walmart and exchange this printer because we needed a new one so we could print out something for our taxes that we need to send it (I think it's stupid that you file electronically but then you still have to print something out for the state and sign it and send it in. What's the point of doing something electronically then?) so Noah and I sat on the couch and watched Yo Gabba Gabba. Then I got kinda tired so we layed on the couch and somewhere in the middle of that we fell asleep. It's been a good day, a tiring day and a relaxing day. I love my family.

Melissa

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter 2008. It was pretty predicitable for me. I got Aaron and Noah both Easter baskets this year. Noah really didn't seem to care about his. We tried to get him to seem a little interested but he wasn't. Maybe next year. We went to church and Noah loves attention. He was gabbing away to everyone behind us. Everyone was telling us that Noah was so cute but I felt bad because no one was really paying attention the program and Noah was being a teensie bit loud. OOPPS. Then afterward we went to Aaron's parent's house and had Easter dinner and Noah played around. All in all it was a good day, but nothing exciting. It will be fun when I can tell Noah about what the Savior has done for us and the meaning of this day. Also him searching for Easter eggs will be enjoyable too. :)

2008-03-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

"what you looking at, punk?"

Noah is growing so fast. He's so funny. He is a crawling machine now. I thought maybe he'd just like to stay in our living room, but no, he really likes to go for the dog food in our kitchen and likes to crawl towards our stairs. It's interesting and he keeps us very busy.

As for us, we are just staying busy. Aaron is STILL working at FEDEX. I have tried to get him to quit but he wants to still work two days so I support him in that.

Being a nanny and working p/t at nights was really hard for me (and still is) because it's a lot of work. Atleast I am away from kids for a few hours. Being a nanny is fun and very hard at the same time. These kids are kids and act their ages, but sometimes I am just like, why can't you just behave? It really makes me not want to have ANY more kids, seriously. All you girls that have kids 2 years apart have a lot more patience then I do! :)

Aaron and I are excited for the next few months coming up. My two sisters are visiting at the end of this month so Aaron and I will actually have a REAL date. I am so excited it's unreal. I will also be able to spend time with both of my sissys at the same time. It's been a while. Our 4 year anniversary is April 17th and our vacation to Washington (for Noah's b-day) is in May. I am happy.

We also bought our new car. We didn't get a van or a Mazda Protege 5. I got a Toyota Corolla. I have actually always wanted one because gas mileage is awesome. The only downer, but boss (for my nanny job) hit my car only one day after we got it! :( It totally ruined my car and I haven't been able to drive it for almost a week. She's going to fix it but it's so crazy that she totally hit it. She was backing out of her driveway and obviously doesn't look out her mirror when backing up. yeah it pretty much sucks.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment:

cutie Noah

2008-03-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

I love my son! That's all I have to say! :)

Lately ...

2008-03-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy! I am now a nanny of a 6 year old and 4 year old. There is also a 13 year old, but I am really not her "nanny" more of a personal driver. :) The kids are very sweet ... but man they have thier moments. They haven't had really consistant nannies. One nanny let them do whatever they wanted (eat whatever, watch whatever, talk back, say bad words, it's horrible) so trying to deal with that is a little tough. Cole (the 6 year old) wanted to watch Team America, and if anyone has EVER seen that movie, it is HORRIBLE and DISGUSTING. I didn't even finish watching it with Aaron, we were so grossed out. I couldn't believe his family even owned that. I am sure that his mom thought it was a kid movie cuz it has toy looking characters on the front cover, but don't let that decieve you, it's just a bunch of "F" words with other gross perverted stuff. Seriously! Anyways, they do act normal for their ages. It's a experience but I get to bring Noah and he is adjusting. It's quite different for him because the kids like to be RIGHT IN HIS FACE and he is at that stage where he is timid. I am still working at NBO. It's been a hard week for me because I work from 7:30 to 5:00 then I drive to NBO and work from 5:30 to 9:30. It's not EVERYDAY but for the first two weeks it's A LOT because most of my work is at the beginning.
I don't have any new pictures and I haven't had time to scan the family pictures yet. Well I'll be honest, I have had time, but it takes SOOOO long on our desktop (we use our laptop now) that I hate to use it. It seriously take 30 mins to even get to the screen to get anywhere.
I got a new car! Yup the one I WANT too. I didn't get a van. We almost did, but decided that we don't need one right now. We got a toyota corolla instead. It gets really good gas mileage and I've really always wanted one. It was WAY below blue book value, and they even didn't add up all the dealer fees (it's about 2 grand added on to any car you purchase from a dealer). They only added probably 500 dollars. I am not sure why, but we didn't say anything (is that bad?). Aaron will now take the BMW and stop squaking about his other car. It's a beater car, but I would drive it if it wasn't a stick shift. It's not that bad, it reminds me of the Datsun days. :)
Ok, so I am going to go, I am actually at NBO, and I am tired so I am going to go home (I also don't feel very good, stuffy nose).
I'll post pictures soon, I just need to not be so lazy (and not busy).

Look what Noah can do!

2008-02-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Look what I can do!

Yup he can stand up all on his own now. No walking yet, but maybe soon. Our house really isn't "proofed" yet but it's because Noah hasn't really gotten that curious yet. I know better safe then sorry, but I am a procrastinator. Noah is also cutting his top two teeth now. He's been waking up at like 10 or 11 at night and then at 3 in the morning. I've been thinking he's getting sick cuz strep has been going around (Aaron has it last week and now my sister in law's son has it and he's been around both of them) but now I think it's cuz of he teethies. Poor little guy.

Daddy's little fan

I know all I ever do is post pictures of my son but he's so cute! This was before he decided to poop through his entire outfit. We got our family pictures back and I'll post those as soon as I scan them.

new car

2008-02-21T08:29:00.001-08:00

Aaron and I are going to get a new (used) car. I am a nanny now and feel like we need a bigger and more reliable car then the BMW. I have fallen in love with the Mazada Protege5. They are a wagon and I read consumer reviews and stuff and they are really good reliable cars. Aaron wants to get a van. Not that I am against vans, I just think this one would be better for now. The one I am looking at does have a lot of miles so maybe I'll just have to suck it up but still why can't I finally get the car that I actually like? My Jetta was ok, but it wasn't my choice, aaron thought it would be a better car to resell if we needed to. Then we got the Escape, but I just feel like we were forced into that car, and it didn't get good gas milege. Now I find a car I like, but Aaron wants me to have a van. I want this to be a car that I will like and stick with for a LONG time. I feel like we trade in/sell our cars every year and it's getting old to me.
I start my nanny job on Monday. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I am also working P/T still as a billing clerk and I am working a lot the first two weeks (m/t/w/th/Sat) then usually the last two weeks I am super slow so I will only work t/th. It will give us extra money, but I know I'll be tired. We'll see how it works out ... I might tell them I can't work that much, which I'm sure they'll understand.

Ok, I should be working so I better go.

Happy Valentine's Day (a little late)

2008-02-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

I just downloaded these pictures of Noah in his Valentine's Day outfit. He's so cute! :)

New Stuff!

2008-02-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

Noah was real sick last night with a 103 temp. I am not sure why he got a temp or what was wrong but he was sure cuddly. I miss when he always cuddled. I hated it at the time because it hurt my back but now I miss it. So he cuddled with me all night, and now he's fine, watching his favorite movie, "Finding Nemo."

"LET ME OUT!!!" So, Noah's been doing this lately in his crib and I think it's soooo funny. Enoy the pictures!

Also, He likes to smile for the camera now, but he doesn't like the flash so he makes a squinty face. It's funny. He's a good picture of him doing it.

We got our family pics taken last Saturday (and I look HORRIBLE but Aaron insisits that I don't, whatever) but I will post them next weekend.

I got a new job as a nanny! Yup I am pretty excited because I met this family before but couldn't take the job over financial reasons. Now I can and I LOVE their kids. So sweet! I am also still working P/T as a billing clerk to save money for when we move to Washington. My father says not to worry about money, but if any of you know me, I always worry about money. I am excited for this change. I will be able to bring Noah with me now, and spend my days with him. I wish I could just stay home, but oh well.

This weekend will be fun, Aaron's birthday is on Monday and I have some fun stuff planned. Have a great weekend and Presidents Day.

GREAT! JUST GREAT!

2008-02-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

A month ago our car broke down and we had to replace the alternator. Here's my story for today:

So, I woke up this morning, did my usual routine with Noah and about 6:30am I go and start the car to warm it up. Started just fine and I went back inside, finished getting myself and Noah ready, fed him some solid foods and started out the door. I get to the car when behold! It's not running. I try to start it, DEAD! Well, it was clicking so that meant that it wasn't holding a charge on my battery. So, Aaron had to come and get Noah and I called the tow truck and they took me to AutoZone first because they are the ones who gave me a battery. Well, the battery tested fine, NOTHING wrong. They gave me a new one and my car was working ok. The couldn't check the alternator because it's a BMW and the way it's built it's hard to check but they said that the car was totally running off the battery. So THEN I drove it to the auto shop and told them that my alternator was bad and they had to replace it. They started asking me questions like, "has it not been chargeing this past month" my reply, "no, it's been working just fine." Then, "didn't we tell you then battery in it was bad and it needed to be replaced?" my reply, " yes, but I went to autozone and they tested it for me, tested fine. Anyways, that doesn't affect the alternator. Either the battery is bad, or the alternator is bad and the car runs off the battery." So, then he was like, "well I guess it's a bad alternator then." YOU GUESS!?! He has to be kidding right? Of course it is ... and they are doing the repair for free! Yeah, now I have to get a rental car because it won't be ready for 3 days. I also missed a half days work so I have to stay later ... it sucks! It better not happen again, This is pretty much strike 50 with this car place ... UGH.

Tub Time!

2008-02-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

Noah started sitting up in his little bathtub. I am going to have to get one of those situp chairs and just fill up the tub. He loves to splash in the water. He's growing so fast ... I love him more everyday!

He is 8 months now and we are excited for his new and upcoming achievements. He's really been into watching Finding Nemo and has a wierd facinastion with his head. :)

More to come ....

P.S. Aaron and I have a new niece! She the first niece and she's beautiful. :)

Family Pic

2008-02-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

We had this family picture taken in Early September. Noah was four months old at the time (and not wanting to smile in ANY picture!) We are getting anthor family picture taken next weekend and when I get those back I will post to show the difference and hopefully Noah will be smiley.

Wowsers!

2008-01-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

So, Saturday I got my hair done. I decided I needed a new look. Aaron got me this gift certificate to a hair salon/spa for Christmas so I got a needed haircut and facial. It was nice. Here was me before ------------------------------------------------------>

and here is me after

It quite a new look for me and I am still adjusting but I have always liked shorter hair on me and the long curly look was getting too old for me (had it long and curly for almost 8 months now!) It's also darker with lighter highlights in it. It's looks so natural and I LOVE IT!

So Noah started crawling today! He was army crawling for a while and Aaron and I have been throwing his toys way out in front of him and hoping he would crawl to it. Well he did today and it was so cute. I know that my life will be lots different now, but he honestly doesn't crawl farther then our carpet. (for now). He also sit up all by himself today too. He was playing with his toy remote and he just sat up. It was quite a interesting day.

So in church today a sister was giving a talk about young women's and it made me remember my times in young womens. I loved it so much. I love girl's camp and youth conference. I loved going to stake dances and being a part of something like that. I don't really feel like I belong here in Utah ... it's been really hard on me for awhile. We were asked to stand up and recite the young women's theme ... and I remembered it all! I just hope people realize how special young women's was ... it really helped me define myself. Anyways, I gotta get Noah ready for bed ... he's a grump head!

Melissa

Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas 2007

2008-01-23T14:28:00.001-08:00

Noah was only 5 months old when it was Halloween. Our orginally plan was to take him trick or treating for a hour (free candy!) but he was not up for that. He wanted to go to bed. So I got a few shots of him in his Halloween costume. Aaron and I stayed up and gave trick or treaters candy. We had some cute costumes this year! We had one little kid that was Yoda and Aaron opened the door and did a Yoda voice and said "Oh is it candy you seek?" It was really funny but the kid didn't get it! :) Packer was suppose to be a fire engine too ... I am sure he was pretty happy that he didn't have to wear his costume.

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Washington for the first time since we've been together/married. I have been working in retail since I moved to Utah and the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday" so you can take the day off. Also I always got cost plus 10% on Thanksgiving (until I became a manager) so it always gave me a reason to work. Anyways, traveling with Noah wasn't hard at all! He didn't cry once on the plan ride and did really well waking up super early to get to the airport. It was a fun holiday to spend with my family and they love seeing Noah. The last time they saw him was when he was first born, so he has changed a lot. Next time they will see him will be when he turns one.

Christmas this year was spent in Utah. I was sick this year and it was horrible. I did however make a great Christmas Eve dinner for Aaron and I. Noah didn't understand, he didn't even want to rip off the paper, he just wanted to roll around on the floor and play with his new things. Then we went to Aaron's parent's house and he got more gifts there. I'm sure next Christmas will be more fun, but it will be better when he can understand Santa and all that. :)

So I caught you up on the major holidays from last year, and hope to keep you updated on things to come. :)

Let's Begin ...

2008-01-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have been telling me to start a blog so here I go. Where to begin? Well, as most of you know I have had a baby. He is a beautiful baby boy named Noah. He is 7 months old (8 months at the end of this month) and starting to crawl. It's really funny to see him struggle. I know that sounds mean but he makes the funniest noises. He got hurt for the first time today (really hurt). He was trying to crawl to his dad and face planted right on our hardwood floor! He cut his lip and it was GUSHING blood. It was a little scary and Aaron wanted to take him to Instacare, but I was like, what would the honestly do? He got better, but it kept bleeding off and on for like 5 hours. He also got really sick tonight and threw up all over his bed. The only wierd thing is, it didn't smell like vomit, it smelled like spit up. I just think his stomach wasn't feeling well and he spit it all up. He was pretty happy afterward. Kinda wierd.

Ok enough about throw up.

I have just been working at NBO Systems. It's a gift certificate company and I handle the billing. There is good days and then there are bad days. Sometimes I feel inadaquate and stupid, but Aaron assures me that things will get better and I am not stupid ... but sometimes I just don't know.

Aaron is still working his little butt off! We just refinanced our house and we will be able to afford him to quit his second job in March or April. He'll be so much happier and it will be nice to not have him wake up at 3:30 in the morning every morning!

We have been talking a lot about moving to Washington and I think we are going to here in the next 6-12 months. Aaron has been looking up schooling stuff online and there is a program in Washington he really wants to look into to. It will definitly be a change but I think we need that change and it will be nice to get out of Utah (atleast for a while you know?).

Ok, well, I'll keep you posted on things to come!

<3 Melisa