Can you say "BRRRRR"......???!

Well it's been another week! Uneventful i must admit. Didn't get to much of the organizing as it is a much larger task than i first anticipated. Also, looking for tax stuff is right up there with impossible. The kids "uncleaned" everything i managed to clean...and did i mention that it is 0 degrees today ...yes ZERO. ICK! No snow except on the mountains. DeRells van broke down and was in the shop 2 1/2 days. OMG, $900. later i think we will be eating potatoes all week! The good news is I only have 6 lbs to go to meet my goal weight and it's only been 7 months. I'm not losing so much anymore but maintaining and pretty happy where i am at. I started excercising on Friday which i am hoping will help get me off the plateu. More good news is we finally settled into our stay-home routine. Bubba has finally given in to his naps and wakes up just in time to go pick sissy up from school. Typical days are Bubba playing with his treasured cars on the crappy plastic mat. (Maybe for his Birthday we'll get him a carpet type area rug thing!) Lining them up in perfect little rows of LA type "traffic jams" and the occassional begging for Spongebob on TV. Danielle continues to torture our new kitten - who actually takes it in stride as part of her "job" as entertainer of her master. She covers her with Blankies and takes her for walks by tying her jumprope to her collar. It's quite comical, but no animals are harmed in the making of her happiness so we watch carefully and intercede when necessary.

Just another day in Paradise

Well we awoke this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground. Not much else new here in Montana. Trying to get in the groove of being home - cooked breakfast (Thanks Kelly for the shortcut Monkey Bread recipe) and got dinner cooking in the slow cooker all before 8am. Seemed like a productive morning, then I went into town for a day at the office. The rest of the week i should be busy - working on organizing 1 room at a time in my house! Tomorrow it's the ofc/den/playroom/catch all......i think it might take me ALL WEEK for that room! Danielle has early out Wednesday AND Friday - not sure who makes these rules but sucks for a mom at home trying to be productive - - drop everything and run to pick her up at 12:30. Still cant get the slideshow working..if anyone knows how or has any ideas I would love the help. Have a great week!

Missie and Karen hang out in California
Danielle and Grandma pose at the zoo.
Grandma and Grandkids at the zoo - Atascadero, CA
Danielle reads "Everyone Poops" to her brother. Lets hope it works and that everyone includes her brother Bubba real soon!

Erick gets his BEST present EVER! Grandma racks up serious HUG points and overwhelming excitement ensues over the new PLAYSTATION 3 (kudos to Auntie Lynnette who got him the extra controller and Kelly & Andy who got him the remote! He also got a very high-tech gaming chair from Mom & DeRell along with 2 new PS games for his new system. He is glowing with hapiness!

Well the New Year has been relatively uneventful so I'll recap December to now. In December we went south to California to visit with family over Christmas break. A much needed break and refuge from chilly Montana! Erick was not with us, as he was with his dad about 6hrs. further North in California. So the rest of us enjoyed the beach, parks, a zoo (Heavens! Not SF Zoo - the tiger attack made us opt for a much smaller zoo), and lots of family time. I got to see baby Aubrey still in the NICU and spend time with my other sis a little further South which was also fun. The kids had a GREAT Christmas full of fun and new favorite toys. I couldn't wait to get home and see which ones would hold out as favorites. We had quite the "You Tube" moment with Danielle and her dissapointment over the "Brown Baby" she did not "order" from Santa. It must be "chinese" to paraphrase my dear cutie. It was hilarious and will be a favorite story of mine for years to come!! Bubba is still in love with the John Deere tractor he got from Auntie Darla and Danielle is thrilled to play with her 19 "Littlest Pet Shop" pets and their respective homes/nooks. I am of course happy to be in my size 5 jeans/pants and the wardrobe I have amassed since losing 22 lbs. 8 more pounds to go !!!
All else is status quo here at home. I have begun my 1 day a week work schedule, and am staying home in hopes of finally getting Bubba potty-trained! Baby steps for us. He is loving not having to go to pre-school and getting some mommy time. Danielle loves me picking her up at 3:15 every day instead of staying in after-care until 6pm.
The best news is that my sister got to bring home baby Aubrey today. No longer a NICU senior citizen! Our entire family is rejoicing! Now comes the fun part for Kelly so I send up my heartfelt hugs to her for this fun time of transition. 6 montsh from now she can look back at the days that flew by where the baby slept for like 4 hrs at a time and wonder where that time went...and want it back! We are just happy to have another baby cousin and neice! Yeah.
Well that's all for now. As soon as i can get the slideshow and pictures inserted we will git'r'done. Thanks for visiting!