It has begun!

School started today...kind of. We had orientation today, which continues tomorrow. I was really nervous this morning, but it wasn't that bad. Just a bunch of housekeeping stuff (tour, paperwork and more paperwork.)

There are about 70 students in my class (about 7 or 8 are males...since everyone asks lol). I've already met a some really nice people. The faculty and staff are really nice and I can't wait to get going with classes. I know it will be a stressful and extremely intense year, but it will be worth it! Right?

I start class on Monday. I'll be going Monday - Thursday from 8-5 p.m. Pretty much a full-time job, eh? (Which, if you know me, I haven't worked or been away from home that long since before Evan was born. So this will be interesting.) So I'm in two classes until the end of September. One class is on M/W and the other is on T/Th.

Vacations are getting lined up, so that will help speed things along (I hope!). Earl, my dad, Jay and I are heading to Vegas in October, for my mid-semester break. We'll be gone for 3 nights. I am already looking forward to it. I'm already looking at Spring Break. I heard about an International Mission Trip, which sound like great experience. I requested the application, so we'll see if I can do that. If not, then Earl and I will pack up and head to the tropics. I already found a cruise (to Grand Cayman Islands and Jamaica) that sounds perfect for spring break. We'll see!

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Evan is almost 16 months old. He is getting big and talks A LOT! He also is getting into EVERYTHING. We purposely left the knobs off our tv stand, so Evan wouldn't open it. Well, he is smarter than that. He figured it out. Smarty pants. He loves to wave at strangers, blow kisses at them and flash them big smiles. He smiles on command too lol.

That's all for now. Time to get to bed. No more late nights for me. :(

Wowza!

Over a month has passed since my last blog. No excuses, just a BUSY life!

Evan is now 15 months old. He is extremely chatty and loves to run around and play. He also likes to dance (he must get that from my mom!). Last night, he climbed out of his crib! Earl and I were in the living room and then we see Evan run into our room. We were both extremely shocked. He ended up sleeping in our bed, because I was afraid that he would try to get out again. So tonight, we're going to turn his crib into a toddler bed. Wish us luck with that......

Here is my little chatter box...
School is going ok. Just ok. Summer semester ends on Monday. Which is my last exam for Patho. I am EXTREMELY nervous about this class. I have to have a 75 to pass. Right now, I have just that. A 75. SO, I have to bust my chops and get at least a 75 on the final to pass the class. If I don't pass, then I don't start school in August. If I don't start school in August, then I'll be finding a job. Doing God knows what. I'm nervous and scared.

Other than that, life is great!

1 MONTH!

Woah!

I haven't updated this blog in an entire month. I have been extremely busy these days. School started on June 2nd. I am taking 9 hours this summer. Thank goodness one class ends next Friday and another on July 3rd.

A few updates:
- Earl and I had a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta. Dream's was beautiful and PV is such a lovely town. We hope to go back in the future. I will add a blog in the next few days with pictures and a review.

- Evan is growing up so fast. He LOVES to sing Happy Birthday, wave at anyone and anything (like birds/trees...etc.). He loves to give me kisses and loves to 'see-saw'. His favorite food - sweet peas and mac n' cheese. He is doing great, except for the whole separation anxiety thing. He doesn't like it if I leave the room. He is only like this at home. At my moms he can care less.

- We bought a brand new Waverunner (2008 Yamaha VX Deluxe, to be exact!) the day after we got home from Mexico. It is a lot of fun. We usually ride it at Longview Lake, but this weekend we're taking it to a larger lake (Pomme de Terre).

- I'm an aunt again! My brother and sister-in-law had a little boy on June 9th. His name is Derek Jacob and he was 4lbs 11oz and 18" long. A tiny little thing. I bet I was 28 weeks when Evan was that size. lol! He is growing so fast though and loves to eat. I love to spoil him and hold him anytime I'm at their house. I am going to take some 'mock-prof' pics of him sometime this week. Should be interesting. :)

- Vacation... I am planning a vacation for August and October. I can't decide. For August, we want to go somewhere for 3 nights and not out of the country. We're thinking either Chicago, Branson or Las Vegas. For our October trip, we can only stay for 4 nights, but that's plenty. I'm thinking somewhere like Cancun, Cozumel or Cabo. Any suggestions?????????

Pics to come later this week!

Yesssssssssssssssssssss!

I did it. I passed Micro! I took the final and optional final (for extra points) on Tuesday. I just looked up my grade and I got a B!!!!

I need a B, because Research says we need B's in all science classes. Well, this professor I had was a nut case. A real bipolar chic teaching my class...basically she was crazy. I couldn't understand a word she said underneath her Colombian accent. She had 'freak outs' or I guess you could call them attacks, in front of class a few times. This is where she screamed at us and called us all liars (because we did something how she said to do it, or the other time where she said we could have a 2nd round on a lab quiz to recheck things and test day come and she says 'NO I didn't!') Whatev. I'm just SO happy to be done with Micro and I'm SOOOO happy that I got a B and don't have to retake it. I BARELY got a B too. 81.2%. Yikes. Now I don't have to spend my summer nights in class. Thank God!

I still have to get through Patho this summer. I am scared, that's for sure!

My 2nd Mother's Day!

Today we celebrated Mother's Day! Our day began with me sleeping in. Yep, I got an extra hour of shut eye. Thank you Earl. I needed it, especially since I'm not feeling good (I have a terrible head cold).

I got out of bed and Evan brought my mother's day present to me...

Here it is...

I LOVE it! Thank you Earl and Evan!!! I love that it came with a chain. I can also put it on my toggle bracelet, as a charm. But, I think I'll wear it on my neck for awhile. :)

We hung out at home for a bit, got Evan down for a nap... Then Earl and I went to the John Brown opera. Then we went to my mom's for some food! It's tradition to have spaghetti on Mother's Day. It was yummy!!!

Thank you to all who wished me a Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to every mommy out there and every soon-to-be mommy!

Finals are coming...

The regular semester is now over and finals are next week! I am excited, of course, but I am dreading the exams. I have one on Monday night, then THREE on Tuesday. Tuesday will be a cram-filled day. I have a final from 1-3, then another (25 minutes away) from 3:30-5:30, then my LAST one at 6pm.

I'm eager to get these classes completed. Summer classes start on May 19 and June 2nd. I'm taking two philosophy classes and Pathophysiology. Thank goodness the philosophy classes are only 4 or 5 weeks long, or I would go insane!

Ouchhh!

Evan had his 1 year pedi appointment on Tuesday. We were a few weeks late because I switched pedi's. I was hesitant to switch, but I am absolutely happy that we did. Evan's new pedi is Allison Henschel, of Raintree Pediatrics. I've only met her once, but I LOVE her! She is so friendly, easy to talk to and Evan loved her. He was already flirting with her (AND the med student shadowing her.) I heard about Dr. Henschel from an old co-worker. I sure wish I would have had Dr. Henschel as Evan's pedi from the beginning, but it's okay. We'll be with her now for 17 years (+) ... hopefully!

The office is waaaay more convenient too. It's about an 8 minute drive down 150hwy. The best part, is that we walk right into the office. No hunting for a parking spot (like we did at St. Joseph Medial Center) and then walking a mile to get to the building. We were in and out of there in about 45 minutes. It would have been less, but I had to fill out paperwork since we were newbies.

So, on to Evan's appointment...
He weighed in at a whopping 22lbs. Seems like a lot, but he is only in the 50 percentile for his weight. This means he has gained 14 pounds in a year. (Yep, he was a big baby-- 8lbs 11oz!) He is a big boy, but still just at 50%. He is 31 1/4" long, which puts him in the 50-75 percentile for height. He has grown 11 inches! Wow!!!

He had FOUR shots. :( This was extremely hard, for him of course...but for me too. I had to hold down his arms while the nurse gave him 2 shots in each thigh. He screamed after the first shot and then turned bright red and held his breath. :( Then screamed some more after the next 3 shots were given. She put band aids on each injection spot and then I picked him up and held him. He was holding on to me so tightly. I hate shots. I absolutely hate it when Evan is in pain. :( At least he has 6 months of no shots... Then we have to go through the pain all over again. :*(

Here he is, in the tub. Band aids and all!

Evan = Chatterbox!

Here is a list of words that Evan loves to say...

Dada
Daddy
Mom
Mama
Dog
Doggie
Star (our dog)
Papa

There are more, but those are the ones he says all the time. :)

(For the record, Mama, was Evan's first word!!!) :-D

Soon he'll be running!

Evan started taking a few steps here and there, before he turned one. Now he takes a lot of them, but he's not 100% walking. Here is a little clip of him walking. There were other clips, but Earl and I hate how we sound on video...so we figured this clip is best, even though Evan is kind of doing an intoxicated man walk. :-D

Swim, Swim!

Evan started Water Babies class on April 19 (the day of his party). It's a 4 week class, that meets for 30 minutes on Saturdays. It is intended to get babies familiar with water and teach parents safety stuff. It was pretty fun (for us both, I think...) I get the pleasure of taking him into the water (only because Earl refuses to...). Evan seemed to like it, so I hope he likes it again tomorrow. I think he will get his face underwater tomorrow. I hope he doesn't screammmm! So, here are some pics from his first day. Please pretend you don't see me. :-/

Evan wasn't...

Evan wasn't the only one who got gifts for his birthday!

Earl and I went to the mall today, with Evan. Earl took me into one of my favorite stores, Coach, and let me pick out a handbag. This is my early Mother's Day present. I picked out this satchel bag...


AND this swingpack...which is going to come to Mexico with us next month. :)


(Thank you sweetie. I love you!)

Earl also got a surprise from his dad. A 2000 Chevy Camaro Z-28! Here is Earl and his new found love...

Here he is, washing it. He wouldn't let me show a pic of him in his board shorts. :-P

My car, unfortunately, has been demoted to the driveway. No more garage for me, until we get a house with a 2-car garage. Boo!

Happy Birthday Evan!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Dear EVAN,
Happy Birthday to YOU!

I can't believe Evan is already 1. This entire year has just FLOWN by! Evan's party was a lot of fun. We had about 35 people over for his party. Evan did great. He didn't cry with all the people around. I was impressed. :) The cake, from Cakes by Combs, was so TASTY and looked awesome! Here are some pics...






Happy Birthday Evan! We love you!

THREE

Three, yes three. That is the # of teeth Evan is cutting right now! He has been extra fussy and has a few gallons of drool p/day. He should have all 8 Incisors in a few days. I tried to get a picture, but I was unsuccessful. I'll wait until they all pop and then I'll post a pic. :)

Evan's 1 year pics!

Must. Click. HERE!

Busy, busy, busy!

Busy.

That is one word that can sum up our lives right now. Spring semester is almost over. Then I have a few weeks off and then summer school (3 classes). The good thing, is that Earl and I are going to Puerto Vallarta (it's in Mexico, if ya didn't know) before school starts. We are both SO excited. It's going to be a much needed, all-inclusive getaway. Here is our hotel...

Dream's Puerto Vallarta

Yep, looks beautiful! I got this picture from Dreams' web site. To me it looks like a painting, so I'm sure it isn't a real photo...

Anyway, Evan's birthday party is this weekend. We are excited about it too. It's going to be family and us! I can't wait. We got a TON of stuff for the party. The goody bags are so cute too. I'll post pics after it is done.

TEETH!
Evan is cutting more teeth! He got his 5th one (that I posted below) over a week ago and now he has THREE coming in. Yep, all at once. He isn't a happy camper. I can't wait for them to cut, so he can be the happy boy that he usually is.

PICTURES!
Evan's 1 yr. pictures are tomorrow. I am SO excited. We have 3 outfits, but I think we'll just stick him in 2 (basically just changing his shirt). I'll post pics when I can, but of course you can always stalk Josh's web site.

We have another toofer!!!

Earl and I were laying in bed with Evan this morning and I noticed it. Evan's 5th tooth! Here it is...
This explains the runny nose and extra drool! I can't believe he has 5 teeth already. I don't know what the norm is, but 5 seems awesome to me.

Weekend Recap

Friday - Earl had a half-day at work. So we went out and about and did a little shopping. We had lunch at Mi Ranchito... Yucatan Salad... yum!!! I don't think we did anything Friday night. Just relaxed.

Saturday - We had tickets to the KC Brigade v. SJ Sabercats, arena football league. We got tickets from a dude on Craigslist and they were AWESOME seats. Here was our view...

It was our first arena football game (in Kansas City). It was fun and we may make it to one more game this season.

Sunday - It was nice out, so we went to Olathe and had lunch (at Mi Ranchito again...) and hit up a few stores. Then we came home and that's it.

There wasn't much to our weekend, but it was a good one. Short, but good. :)

We don't have anything planned for this weekend. But the weekend after is Branson weekend! Yay!

Random updates

Evan can stand, unassisted! He started this about a week ago. He can stand for about 30 seconds. We've been working on walking. He gets so excited and laughs and hollers. We hope to have him walking before he turns 1. Which is on APRIL 20! Ahh!


Don't you just love those chunky legs? I love to squeeze them. :-P We already know he's going to have big, muscular legs...because Earl and I both have em. haha.

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Speaking of Evan's birthday... I designed invitations and had them printed. When they arrived, I noticed a typo. I was so upset, because I looked it over a gazillion times. I even had Earl proof it. We both missed it.


Do you see the error? If not, look again. Look at the white text at the top. There ya go. "Turnng" should say "TurnIng". Oops! So I fixed it, then Earl and I had a change of plans.

We really think our house is too small to hold everyone. So, we were thinking of going to a park, but we're having a hard time tracking down the people who run it, so we can reserve it. If the weather is bad, then we'll just have it at our house and be sardines.

As you can probably tell by looking at the invite, the theme of Evan's birthday party is -- BASEBALL! I found an awesome baker -- Cakes by Combs -- who is going to do Evan's cake. She's doing a baseball smashcake for Evan and a baseball diamond/field for everyone else. We're going to do ballpark style food (hot dogs, brats, nachos, etc... and a few Chamorro specialities, like Chicken Kelaguen and Shrimp patties).

Evan is also having his ONE year pictures done with the Solars. (I went to HS with Josh & Jenny!) We had pictures done with them in the fall (see them here) and they were FABULOUS! So I'm super excited about having them do Evan's 1 year pictures. I hope Evan cooperates!

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School is going well. It definitely keeps me busy. (If you don't know, I'm a full-time student again. I'm working on my 2nd bachelors degree. I was accepted into Research College of Nursing's Accelerated Option BSN program. I'll graduate in August '09.

Anyway, I'm over halfway through the semester and I am already anxious for the semester to end. I'm currently in TWO Theology classes, Microbiology and Music Appreciation (14 hours total). This summer I'll be in two Philosophy classes and Pathophysiology. It should be interesting... Nursing school starts in August. It's basically a job. I'll be in class from 8:30 - 5 pm, Mon. - Thurs. I'll have clinical's that may start before 8:30, so I'll be pretty busy! I'm excited though. Really!

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We moved! Some of you know, some of you don't. We moved in February. We're now renting in a house (a block from my parents house), in Grandview. It's so nice that we don't have to share walls with neighbors. It's also nice to have a yard (even though our backyard is a swamp..........). We're currently working on decorating it.

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That's all for now. I'll leave you with a few new pictures.

First post

I've tried blogging before, but never stuck with it. But I will now. So...here is my new blog. I'm going to blog about everything Grice-related (and maybe more). Check back later for more Grice updates. :)