Weekend Update

It was a great weekend this past weekend. Jenna and I got to go and play with Nicole and Logan (I work with Nicole and Logan will be 2 in August) at Bouncing Off the Walls (indoor playground). The girls were too cute playing together, they both love jumping and sliding and playing in the playhouse with all of the accessories. They were just too cute together! We're hoping to get them together to play more! Below are the pictures I took and then some at home with Jenna being the ham that she is! HA! Wonder where she gets that from....

Jenna and Mommy being hams!

"CHEEEEESE!"

"CHEEEEEESE!" again...

Jenna and Logan playing with the kitchen Making their Mommy's some coffee

Jenna running back and forth with the lawn mower

Climbing through the tree house

Logan jumping!
Both playing house!

Jenna with the iron - starting her early!

Logan checking the mail

Just lounging at home!

Gotta get the cell phone in on it too

Who's she calling??

"Hold on Mom...I have to take this call."

"Hello? Yeah...uh-huh..."

Daddy and Jenna sharing ice cream

100 Things

Now that I'm in the blogger world, I do a lot of reading of other blogs and I came across this and thought it was pretty interesting! I thought I would give it a shot and see if I could list 100 things about myself. Ok...I'm bored here at work....humor me....

1. I cry. A lot. Over overything.
2. I use humor as ways to cope.
3. Self-medication is key - Ginger Ale and Pepto cures all.
4. I'm addicted to office supplies...and I have a whole drawer of office supplies I don't need. Office Depot is my dealer.
5. I hate cooking. If I could make cheesecake and cupcakes for dinner, I would.
6. I grew up being the fat girl, but never got made fun of. I laughed at myself before they could laugh at me.
7. I love writing. I write better than I speak.
8. My feet are ugly, my toes have a mind of their own.
9. I can imitate my Mom to the T.
10. I can't stand when you tell someone a story and then they have to go one up and tell you how they did that too, but only greater.
11. I feel horrible when someone recognizes me and I have no clue who the hell they are.
12. I'm still debating on whether or not I really want a 2nd child. I would be content with my daughter.
13. I will try anything (food wise) once and I hate when someone doesn't tell you what it is that you're trying. The name isn't going to make a difference.
14. False teeth scare me.
15. I don't think I'm OCD with cleaning, but others will beg to differ.
16. After writing number 15, I remembered that I forgot to vacuum last night. HA!
17. I'm only on 17 and I realize that this is harder than I thought!
18. I never take my contacts out in fear that I will have to wake up and run somewhere and not be able to see.
19. Sometimes I speak before I think...hence Amy Thoughts.
20. The weirdest Amy Thought I had was why on earth a fly would smash into the window of a moving vehicle and kill themselves...why can't they just fly out of the way??
21. I worry about too much.
22. I love dancing.
23. I can't drink anymore and I'm ok with that. Honestly.
24. I'm tired of having to convince people that I'm really OK with not drinking.
25. I used to think that my brain was filled with hair and it just slowly seeped out. People, i was young! HA!
26. Growing up, my dream job was to be a bus driver. I wanted to drive around all day opening and closing the doors.
27. I once put my foot through my parent's bathroom door because my sister called me fat.
28. I only have one scar on my face, and its on my forehead, from the time Steph threw the remote at me, but claimed that she only "tossed" it.
29. I got her back after that by throwing a keyboard at her face. She now has a matching scar by her eye.
30. I cried and fought when my parent's wanted to cut the tree down in front of their house to extend their driveway. I told them it was my favorite tree.
31. I was the talk of the neighbors because of that damn tree.
32. They cut that damn tree down the following year.
33. Before we started dating, Tom told me that he didn't have time for a girlfriend. So, I dated someone else.
34. Once he found out we broke up (I talked to Tom a lot about it), he jumped on *pointing to self* this prize!
35. I wish I could do my wedding over again, I had a kick ass time!
36. It has been almost 4 years since my wedding and we still have not ordered our wedding pictures.
37. I believe that once you hit a certain age, you need to be tested on a yearly basis on your driving.
38. I'm a Microsoft Office pro.
39. I can type 98 words per minute. (I just tested myself online)
40. I say "no problem" too many times throughout the day. Really, it is no problem.
41. I miss being pregnant, but I do not miss labor and delivery.
42. I pushed Jenna out in 20 minutes without any drugs and felt every bit of it.
43. I had my Mom and Mother-In-Law (along with Tom) in the room and didn't care.
44. I gained 70 pounds with my pregnancy. Offering food was a way to get on my good side.
45. It took me almost 2 years to lose 85 pounds starting when Jenna was 2 months old.
46. I have a sarcastic side that only a select few get...and don't get offended by.
47. I cried when I had to sell my Lumina *doing the sign of the cross*. RIP RUBY!
48. I have a bad temper, but it rarely comes out. Its not as bad as my sister's! HA HA!
49. I'm addicted to celebrity news. People.com and celebrity blogs are on my favorites and I check them daily.
50. I like watching stupid girly chick flicks. Sadly, I will admit that I did want to watch Crossroads, that movie that Britney Spears did back in the day.
51. Fact #50 is why Tom won't let me pick out movies for us to watch together.
52. I'm a people pleaser - I avoid conflicts if possible. I will only confront when I've had all that I can take.
53. I still find it weird that I'm a Mom and I have a daughter. She might not look like me, but acts very much like me.
54. Jenna was going to be named Katrina, until that hurricane hit. I didn't even pick out Jenna's name, my friend Joanne did! *making a Joanne face* HAAAAAAY!
55. I love dancing. I do a mean purcolator. Ok...well, I used to be able to - I'm getting too old to be doing that anymore!
56. I'm trying to teach my neice Brit how to do the purcolator.
57. I've already taught Brit how to do the booty-slap dance. She's Mamie's little dancer!
58. I'm not a beach person. I hate the beach and avoid going if I can.
59. I email more than I do work. If an email comes through, I respond to that first and then go back to what I was working on.
60. If Tom would allow it, I would bring my laptop to bed and be on the internet while laying in bed.
61. When Tom was away, I did just that.
62. If I could, I would pay someone to decorate the entire inside of my house.
63. I feed my daughter hot dogs and I don't care what anyone says. (Yes, I have gotten comments)
64. The "bad step" is used in my house at least once a day.
65. Before my grandfather passed, my grandmother *lurked* in my house and made her presence known. Since his passing, we have yet to hear from her.
66. It's weird how this worked out, but I married someone with a personality like my sister and she married someone with a personality like me. Them - stubborn and protective and speaks their mind. Us - laid back with a whatever attitude.
67. My sister and I never got along until I was 17 and she was 19.
68. Now we don't go a day without talking.
69. If we don't talk to each other, we panic as if something has happened.
70. And we like to double team against our Mom. HA!
71. My longest friendship is with Christina - ever since we were about 4 years old.
72. I can't stand when parent's don't correct their kid at a playground. Your kid is pushing others, correct them please.
73. Women are worse than men when it comes to using public bathrooms. Come to my office, you'll find out I'm right.
74. I'm a blanket stealer - Tom and I don't use the same comforter for that reason.
75. I once laughed for 45 minutes straight with Joanne, and I was sober. Ask us what we were laughing at? We have no clue.
76. I had my tonsils taken out at 19 and couldn't eat regular food for a month.
77. Someday I hope to visit Australia.
78. I have never gone ice skating.
79. I will never bungee jump - free falling is not my thing.
80. I love Hazelnut coffee with French Vanilla creamer in it. Mmmm!
81. I used to eat chicken hearts as a child with my Dad. They are good!
82. I'm not a sushi fan. I've never tried it and probably never will. Give me a good ol' cheeseburger and I'll be happy.
83. I'm realizing that this is harder than what I thought!
84. I'm in denial about the gray hairs that are popping up on the top of my head. Ask me about them and I'll deny it.
85. I am the worst driver when it rains. If it rains, I won't drive unless I have to.
86. I'm the best driver in the snow. Figure that one out!
87. *knocking on wood* I've never received a speeding ticket, but I've been pulled over twice and received warnings.
88. A drunk driver on a suspended license back into me at a red light and sped off. I chased him while dialing 911.
89. I stopped when the cops told me that I had to stop.
90. They found him days after but never charged him, it was dropped.
91. An attorney hit me as he was backing out of his parking spot. He tried to leave too.
92. I wouldn't let him until the cops came.
93. He tried to sue me for damages and he lost.
94. Morale of the story, don't hit my car and try to leave - I won't let you.
95. I will never have a psychic do a reading to me - I'm terrified to hear what they have to say.
96. Cheese fries are my weakness. And mozzerella sticks.
97. I'm a good listener.
98. I'm pretty good with my advice.
99. I get bored often.
100. I have the best group of friends - they are all very different, but a lot alike. I know that doesn't make sense, could be another Amy Thought. :-D

VOILA! ALL DONE! WHEW!

What happened to my little baby?

Temper tantrums. Kicking. Biting. Screaming. Hitting. Hair pulling. Spitting.

I've come to realize that with a growing baby comes the terrible 2's. Yes, this is what I deal with on a regular basis. She's trying to be independent. She's trying to do things at her own pace and in her own way. She's trying to do all of these things without Mommy and Daddy's help and when we try to help her, this is the outcome that we get. This is also the outcome that we get when she's tired or frustrated or just overall in a bad mood. She's testing us, pushing our buttons and trying to get away with all that she can.

We're trying to stay on top of it all with putting her on the bad step and correcting her and for the most part, its working. Even though she's on the bad step at least once a day, we know its working. It's allowing us to go places and do things with her and not have to feel limited because she is overall a great daughter. Most of her outbursts are at home or when she decides that she doesn't want to go to school and she has a tantrum outside of school. As much as I would love to say "Ok, let's go home then!", she has to go.

Why am I writing this you ask? It could be because I'm bored and sitting here at work and I happen to glance over at her picture that is sitting at my desk. Its a picture of her, looking up at the camera and giving this angelic look. I'm sitting here wondering...where did the time go! Where is my little baby? It feels like it was just yesterday, I was sitting in her room, in her rocking chair rocking her back to sleep at 2am. Staring at the shape of her eyes and noticing that she pouts her bottom lip as she sleeps. I look at her now as she plays and still see that same infant that I used to rock to sleep. I still see that same pout that she has when she sleeps.

As opposed to me talking to her and telling her stories, we now have full conversations with each other. As opposed to singing her songs, she tells me to stop so she can sing them. As opposed to changing her every hour or 2 hours, now, when I ask her if she pooped, she shakes her head and with a serious face, she says "Nope. I fwarted."

Ok, I'm done my reflecting post for today. Its safe to say that I had a rough morning with her and it's been stuck in the back of my mind today - so I can't wait to race out of here to go and get her.

The joys of parenting! :-)

Go Speedracer, Go!

This weekend was a great weekend, although it was a busy weekend! Friday night I went to a candle demonstration (Gold Canyon) and got me some more of my favorite candle (Ginger Lime! WAHOO! LOL!). Then Saturday, I went with my friend Steph, her sister and her fiance's niece to go and look at bridesmaids dresses. She's getting married in July 2009 and already that girl is on the ball! I think we found our dress!!! YAY!

Jenna finally (thanks to my awesome friend Gina) got her first real haircut. By haircut, I mean not just her bangs, which I've been doing unsuccessfully. Of course, as soon as Tom saw it, he said that he didn't like it. I think its because she looks like a little girl now and not a baby. He says that its because it looks like her hair is in the shape of a helmet. What does he know anyway!!!

Saturday night we had a late night at the Vingless house. My parent's had us, the Mattoi clan, and my cousins and their wives and kids over at the house. A lot of yelling, laughing, and chasing kids - good times!!! We didn't get home until close to 10pm and Jenna was POOPED! But she had a great time and only had to sit on the bad step once! She bit Brittany and her precious Aunt Neffie had to put her on it! At one point, I realized that with all of the kids running around, no one took a potty break. So, in the house I went with all of the kids and each one of them went. Jenna was last and I put her on the potty just to see if she would follow and SHE DID!!!!! We whooped it up for her and she was so proud! But...hasn't done it again since. HA! Stubborn kid!

Today was the best day though, the weather was GORGEOUS outside! As Jenna napped, Tom and I were able to get a lot of spring cleaning done and odds and ends done around the house. Then, we decided to take her outside to go "four-wheelin'". She was too funny going up and down the street! One neighbor saw her and said "Oh, watch out speedracer!" LOL! She doesn't know how to steer yet, but I'm sure after a while of riding it, she'll get the hang of it!

Below are a couple of pictures that I took as she was riding!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!!!

"Neeefffiiieee! Where are you?!"

As I've posted before, you know that Steph likes to come in the mornings to get Jenna dressed, spend some "Neffie Jenna" time. Well, Jenna plays these games now that if she doesn't give someone a hug and a kiss bye, then that means they aren't leaving.

Wrong!

This morning, Steph comes by, does her usual with Jenna, well its time for her to leave now. Jenna keeps telling her no when she asks for a hug and a kiss bye. So, Steph leaves.

The above picture is the result of her Neffie leaving without a hug and a kiss. Its Jenna, standing on the couch, looking out the window going "Neeefffffiiiiieeee! My Neeeefffffiiiiiieeee....hug kiss!!!!!!" and crying and whining.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

What is Jenna doing you ask? She's cleaning the booth at Red Robin! HA! Steph got a kick out of this and had to take a picture of it. We had taken all of the kids out to dinner and after they all ate, Jenna took out her napkin and started wiping the table and even cupped her little hand at the end of the table and brushed the crumbs off into it.

Ok, ok - so I'm a little OCD when it comes to cleaning my house. I will admit that. Trust me, its not to the point where I clean 24/7 and scrub everything - its mainly vacuuming and dusting! I can't help it though, I think it all started when I had 2 dogs and the pet dander that came from the both of them just drove me nuts, so I vacuumed and dusted every other day. Also, Brittany dealt with severe asthma at the time, so I had to really make sure there was minimal to no dog dander around so then she could stay and play. Well, since Mercedes has passed, it doesn't need to be every other day, but out of habit, I still clean like that because I did it for so long. Growing up, I was the sloppiest child alive, cheese sandwiches under the bed, food everywhere, messy room, etc. Ask Steph, she'll tell you.

Well - my daughter has now watched me do it and is all about imitating me. She cleans up very well after herself! HA! I didn't try to put my OCDness on her, she just watched me and now imitates me! When she started walking, she loved to take the swiffer and just push it back and forth across the floor. She LOVES when I vacuum, she follows behind me holding the cord.

I know, I know, I'm reading this back to myself and it sounds really bad. It sounds like I'm raising the next Little Orphan Annie and making her scrub my floors with a toothbrush while singing Its A Hard Knock Life and The Sun WIll Come Out Tomorrow! I'm not, I swear.

*walking away from post humming The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow*

Meet Moose Horsie

Here's a little story about how Jenna adopted who we like to call "Moose Horsie".

Last night, Tom and I went out to dinner with friends of ours (we just went to TGIFridays) and Jenna hung out at my parent's house while we went and they had a BLAST with her! My Dad took her for a walk around the block, stopping and chatting with the neighbors and then when they got home, they played "Grammy pinch my nose, I tattle to Pop-Pop"! The littlest things that get them going, I swear!

When Tom and I got there, Jenna is carrying this moose thing - my sister got it for my dad a few years ago, it's this remote control holder that goes over the arm of the couch and at the top, it's a stuffed moose. So, when my Dad came out with her, Jenna was holding it. I couldn't stop laughing...here is the convo:

Amy: Dad...why is she carrying that.
Dad: I gave it to her! She's going to take it home. ((insert laughing))
Amy: And she needs a remote control holder for what?
Dad: She calls it her horse. She pets it like a horse and has been carrying it around!
Amy: But its a moose.
Dad: A horse to her.
Amy: Are you serious?! ((starting to hysterically laugh))
Jenna: MAH-MEE! MY HORSIE!!
Dad: See? Its her horse!

We were all laughing hysterically!! So, now, Jenna is the proud owner of a moose remote control holder that she likes to call Moose Horsie.

Neffie do it......

Just a little backstory - (copying from Steph's post) a few mornings out of the week, when she's able to, after getting the kids to school or not, she likes to come over to my house for some coffee and Jenna. Its not always easy for her to hang out with just Jenna, so her mornings with her are just their time. She comes over, wakes her up, gets her dressed (all cutesy matchy-matchy), gives her a vitamin, does her hair and attempts to get her to go potty. This has been going on for the past few weeks - probably even longer. Jenna is now getting used to seeing Steph in the morning and LOVES that time with her.


Well, this morning, Steph wasn't able to come - which is fine by me.....but not Jenna. This morning was very difficult! First, I walk into her room and she looks at me as if I'm not supposed to be walking in there. She's just laying there, holding on to her stuffed dog, looking at me. As I'm taking her out of her bed, she's still looking at me....then, as soon as I put her down, she hauled ass to behind her rocking chair. I'm trying to get her to come and get dressed, but she won't come out. All I hear is "Neffie do it............Neffie do it......" I told her that Neffie had to go to work so Mommy had to do it and she straight up told me NO! Then, she decided that if Neffie wasn't going to be there to do it, then she was going to do it. *sigh* Sloooooooooowly she's putting her pants on, her shirt on and her socks. The whole time, I could hear her going "brrr...brrrr brrr...brrrr..." Steph taught her this thing from Blue's Clues (I don't watch, so I don't know) and she was doing it this morning as she was getting dressed, almost as if she was calling Steph! Its like their language now! LOL! 20 minutes and 50,000 "brrr brrr's" later, she was done.


Everything was a battle this morning, from getting her dressed, to walking down the stairs, to brushing her teeth, to getting her gummy, to getting her jacket on, and then getting her out the door and in the car. WHEW! When we got to school, she was fine, she was more interested in putting her hands in her pockets and showing Zoya (her school's director) how she could walk with her hands in her pockets. She said her normal good-bye to me with a hug and a kiss, so she was over it.


It's all worth it though - I can deal with Jenna's difficulty in the morning because I know she's upset that she can't see her Neffie! It's their time in the morning and that 20 - 30 minutes that Steph gets to spend with her by herself is huge to Jenna, just something so simple as stopping by, getting her dressed and hanging out with her for a little bit, she has her Aunt all to herself!

Monday Blah-ness...

45 of the most random things you probably never needed to know about someone

Whats your name spelt backwards?:
Yma Noswal

What did you do last night?:
Yelled at Tom, called Joanne and laughed my ass off. Much needed therapy.

The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?:
Probably a game - I don't download music.

Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?:
I don't think so!

Last time you swam in a pool?:
Back in November when I took Jenna to swimming classes.

What are you wearing?:
Black pants, white tank and a 3/4 length green top with argyle on it.

How many cars have you owned?:
3, and I miss my Lumina!

Type of music you dislike most?:
AMY WINEHOUSE!

Are you registered to vote?:
Yes

Do you have cable?:
Of course! Who doesn't??

What kind of computer do you use?:
A Dell at work and a tempermental Tosiba at home.

Ever made a prank phone call?:
Haven't we all. That's what sixth grade was about.

You like anyone right now?:
I like lots of people!

Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?:
Hell no! Free falling is not my thing or my stomach's thing.

Furthest place you ever traveled?:
Cancun Mexico...ahhh, good memories...from what I could piece together from the pictures!

What's your favorite comic strip?:
I don't really have one.

Do u know all the words to the national anthem?:
I probably THINK I know all of the words...

Shower, morning or night?:
Morning

Best movie you've seen in the past month?:
Hmm...considering the only movies I've seen are Little Einsteins and Alvin and the Chipmunks...I'd have to go with good ol' Alvin.

Favorite pizza toppings?:
Mushrooms, pepperoni, broccoli...great, now I want pizza.

Chips or popcorn?:
How can you choose between those two?!? I'm hungry now...I want both.

What cell phone provider do you have?:
Verizon

Have you ever smoked peanut shells?:
WHAT?!? People smoked those?!?

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?:
Hell no...

Orange Juice or apple?:
Apple, right Joanne?!

Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?:
Since I didn't have lunch today, it was with Jenna yesterday.

Favorite chocolate bar?:
Twix

Who is your longest friend and how long?:
Christina - 23 years and going strong!

Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?:
Probably last summer

Have you ever won a trophy?:
4 or 5 years ago when I received the Ceridian Star! WHOOT-WHOOT!

Favorite arcade game?:
Skeeball!! That game rocks!

Ever ordered from an infomercial?:
2 years ago when I ordered some workout video...yeah, totally didn't work.

Sprite or 7-UP?:
Sprite

Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?:
When I went to Catholic school for kindergarten and when I worked at lovely Kmart!

Last thing you bought at Walgreens?:
I'm more of a CVS kind of girl!

Ever thrown up in public?:
Sure, who hasn't?

Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?:
True love

Do you believe in love at first sight?:
Not LOVE at first sight, but there's something strange about seeing someone for the first time and knowing that you'll be with them forever.

SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?:
Jimmy Neutron!

Did you have long hair as a young kid?:
Yes

What message is on your voicemail machine?:
I just deleted them, so nothing, unless someone left me a message today.

Where would you like to go right now?:
HOME!

Whats the name of your pet?:
Lexus - shit, I'll never have the car so why not name a dog that??

What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?:
I don't carry a back pack! LOL!

What do you think about most?:
Watching my daughter grow up and how I'm going to survive when she decides to move out of the house and I'm left with just my husband again. LOL! Sometimes I wonder what we did without her there!

The Right Stuff!

Yes, that's right girls - you're looking correctly at the picture above! NKOTB are doing a REUNION TOUR!!!! If you were a child of the 1990's, you had the bed sheets, you had the cassette tapes, you had the oversized buttons that you could pin on you or have sitting up like a picture frame, you watched their cartoon Saturday mornings, you knew every song word for word, you had that one that you favored (Jordan), you had their VHS video of their concerts and if you were lucky enough, you went to one of their concerts. Unfortunately, I was one of the unlucky ones that never got to go, but NOW IS MY CHANCE!!

It's quite humorous that I'm sitting here dedicating a post to them, but back then, when they were around, I was obsessed with them! It'll be fun to go to their concert and reminisce about that time! I have Heather and Steph who are all about going, they are going to be my partners-in-crime and geekin' it 100% with me!

Here's to the black hats, ponytails on the side, feathered out high bangs (held up by a can of Aqua Net) and wearing 2 different colored socks on each foot that matched your outfit!