Baby L!

We had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new niece for what feels like years! You all probably remember that my sister and I are very close. So her children feel as close to mine as they could. :) I love them so much. Since we have a little boy we were all very excited to have a little girl to spoil! And she has my middle name... My sister is the BEST.

My sister's due date was the 16th. We all joked (and hoped) that L would come early. She did! This is going to get long but I want to write it all out so I don't forget. It was so exciting and amazing.

The afternoon of the 14th my sister texted that she was having a few contractions. Nothing to time but they were painful. By 5PM she said I should be ready because they were timing them now. I was ready! I drove home from work absolutely giddy. My parents trekked out to their house to pick up O. My sister wanted to labor at home for as long as possible. The plan was for me to be in the delivery room (again) so I needed to be ready do go. About 8:30 she said the contractions were further apart. So I got ready for bed with MrHoppy and watched some TV.

By 10 my brother in law had called and things had changed drastically. They were speeding to the hospital and I was out the door in 10 minutes to follow! We walked into her room which was eerily quiet. She was laying on the bed with her eyes closed. I should mention that my sister goes all natural. Not even Tylenol. So she was in the "zone".

I found out later that her water had broken as soon as they walked into the room. She felt like she couldn't do it anymore. I also found out that this probably means she was in transition. So we settled outside her room. A nurse went in for a minute and promplty ran out.

"She is a 10, she's ready to push, we need a Dr in here right away!!"

She also said "she wants her sister!". Best words. Ever. So I walked in and a nurse pulled me aside right away. They didn't even know her name yet, she wasn't checked in officially!! I gave them the information and went to the bed where the pushing had already started. I think it took 4 pushes and L was here! She was beautiful, perfect and we all fell in love instantly. My sister is amazing!

I went home about 2AM after getting to experience everything with them. My sister is the most amazingly giving person to let me stay for her first bath, weighing her, shots, etc. It was so much fun! Her official birth date was 12/14 at 11:26PM. She was almost born in the car on the way - it's no lie that the 2nd babies come MUCH faster!

In the morning we received bad news. L was in the NICU with low oxygen and what they thought was an infection of some sort. My sister and her husband were devestated. The perfect family bonding time wasn't going to happen. Instead L was hooked up to machines in another portion of the hospital. I arrived with snacks, movies, magazines and some outfits for L that I had picked up before I found out she was in the NICU. We were all SO worried.

Blood tests confirmed she had an infection, a pretty bad one. We still don't know what it was. She was on oxygen and IV antibiotics. We hoped she would get well quickly.

Finally on Sunday afternoon L was released. She is home, safe and sound. And most importantly - HEALTHY! We are doing our family Christmas celebration tomorrow night and I can't wait to love her up.

So that's my newest niece's birth story. Pretty amazing that they let me be a part of it with both their children. Thank you sissy!

Our House is Officially for Sale!

As of Sunday the 18th our house is officially for sale. It is staged, the photographer finished the photos Friday and the websites are up and running. The sign is in the yard but we are still waiting for the brochures to be completed.

I'm excited to say that we already had one showing! Our realtor warned us that the next 2 weeks will be hit or miss with the holidays so I was just happy to have had a showing. We'll see what kind of feedback they have for us. There is another couple interested in looking this week so I hope that works out too. It's kind of weird to come home knowing that strangers were walking through our house though. I guess I'll get used to it!

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much - I want it to sell quickly but I know it's a tough market and we just need to find the "right" family.

In other much more exciting news - I'm an Auntie again! My niece was born last Wednesday the 14th and in our family's fashion it was not without drama! I'll post all about her first 6 days of life tomorrow.

Happy Christmas week everyone! I hope you all have fun plans with friends and family!

Oh, hi.

I've pretty much not been blogging regularly since mid-Summer. No excuses really, just really busy. I guess that's my excuse? I haven't been editing photos, working out as much or doing much of anything. Where is the time going? Not working out as much is really annoying but you'll see why here in a minute...

The big news is that we decided recently to list our home! We'll see if it sells. I'm trying not to get too excited. We are in love with the realtor we found. She helped my in-laws find their home when they moved to Colorado. She is very motivated, has excellent ideas and has held our hands through every step thus far.

Our plan if our home sells is to move from the 'burbs back into the city! We'll rent for a year or two while we save money for a down payment on a new home. We want to figure out our favorite neighborhood in Denver and move there!

So in preperation...

Sunday we deep cleaned our house. Wow, that took some time. It doesn't get done often and lemme tell ya - it needed it! It felt awesome to get it all done. Baseboards, touching up paint, cleaning all the blinds, etc. You know the cleaning I'm talking about! No fun!

Last night we met with a stager. It was so interesting the way she used things we already had in new ways. There was a lot of moving pictures, packing up items and arranging furniture. It was actually pretty fun and I'm amazed at what little changes she made and how they make such a big difference. I was excited that she commented several times on what a good eye I have and how she thought our house was so pretty.

After she left we started on the laundry list of other things that needed to be completed. We are pretty much packing up anything we don't use regularly. Personal photos are gone, the pantry is organized and clean, and there are many holes to be filled in and paint touch ups to be done on our walls! It will be a busy few evenings to say the least. See why I can't get to the gym the last few weeks?

A photographer is coming on Friday morning to take photos for the websites, brochures and folders that will be available on our table to anyone who looks at our house. I feel prepared. And I feel like I'm just going to hurry up and wait! Waiting to see if it sells, if the appraisal works out, what we find in the way of renting a home in Denver. I tend to be anxious about this type of thing so I'm trying really hard to go with the flow. I'd be lying if I said I slept well last night though!

We hope to have it listed by Saturday. I have a good feeling about listing it quickly, even though it's right around the holidays. A lot of people take their homes off the market this time of year. But people are still looking to buy and need to move! I hope this works in our benefit. We shall see. And I will be better about blogging.

Not sure if anyone is reading anymore - I don't blame you if you aren't! I need to decide what to do with the ol' blog. I don't feel like an infertile anymore. I would venture to say we feel like a happy couple without kids. I can't believe I'm here - but I am. And I'm happy. :)

Hard Night Ahead

Tonight at 5PM we'll be saying our final goodbyes to Meghan Joule. I'm anxious. I have been to funerals but never for someone my age. Someone who had their life cut too short by a horrible disease. Someone who only got to spend ONE year with her 3 gorgeous babies.

I can't believe it's been a week. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming. They will be much needed tonight.

Gone Too Soon

I haven't had much to say here lately. It's not a bad thing necessarily - I am just feeling quiet.

Last week was hard. A friend of mine lost her 5 year battle with cancer. Meghan left behind her husband and 1 year old triplets. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Life is so unfair sometimes.

We started a donation fund for her (via The Bump) and I'm so shocked by the outpouring of support for Meghan's family. She touched a lot of lives in her short time here. Her blog is on my reading list. She also has a Caring Bridge website. Thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated for her family during this time.
Wednesday is going to be a tough day. :(

Her Caring Bridge website. Her husband has updated http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/meghanjoule

Her personal blog. I know many of our bump friends already follow. http://mbjmaybebaby.blogspot.com/

Updates

MrHoppy commented last night about how little I have been blogging. And I agreed - I just don't know what to say! Or I guess I don't have much to say?

Maybe an update post of sorts is where I should start. Perhaps that will get the blogging juices flowing again!
On the Pet-Front: we are dealing with an injured Pekingese. A few years ago his left eye was badly scratched and it took months to heal. He has a similar scratch now on his right eye. Poor little man. It was missed initially by the vet (I won't get into details, just know that I was PISSED) so it went untreated for almost 2 weeks. We are now taking good care of him and hoping it heals nicely. The options if it doesn't aren't great, I'm not even thinking about what would come next. Just thinking positive! It's day to day but he is feeling better so that is good news.

On the Money-Front: This year has been tough. such is the story right now with everyone right? I received a raise in January but then in July MrHoppy started a new job that pays less. For now anyway. Our health insurance costs went up by about double (awesome!) so our out of pocket expenses have been rough. The good news is that both cars are now paid off! We are saving this month to build a really good emergency fund. Next month we will start putting ALL our extra money toward a little bit of debt that we racked up this year. It should take about 7 months to pay off. Sounds like  a long time but I hope it flies by!

On the Home-Front: We have been toying with the option of refinancing our current mortgage to take advantage of the low interest rates. After tossing around a bunch of ideas we decided to start the process of looking into SELLING OUR HOUSE! We are so excited. It just didn't make sense to refi when we ultimately want to move. Our first step will be to contact a realtor to see if it's even a possibility in this market. I'll keep you updated on what we decide, it's a very new development and we haven't done much of anything yet. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

On the Exercise/Health-Front: Things are going really well. I'm working out a lot and we have been eating very healthy. Part of this is due to our food budget - we don't eat out much anymore! MrHoppy is in class twice a week until May so I have been getting in extra workouts. Bonus!

I think that sums up what is new in our world. Not much, nothing too exciting. I do have a lot of photos I need to share. I just haven't taken the time to download and organize. I haven't been ordering prints like I should either. The website has been SO SLOW so I get frustrated when I use it and give up.

I'm happy Fall is finally here! It still feels pretty much like Summer here in CO though which is annoying. Bring on the chilly weather! I'm ready to break out the snowboard!

Birthday Fun

September is one of my favorite months for several reasons. Beautiful weather as Summer fades into Fall, the leaves are changing, and most of all my birthday!

I have always loved my birthday. Not because of presents (while those do help!), but because it's an excuse to see friends and family, have a party, take a day off work and MrHoppy is especially sweet the week of my birthday. Which I love!

I wasn't expecting much this year. We're running a tight ship budget-wise but still planned to have a gathering at our house with our best friends.

I was surprised that I was so spoiled this year! I'll tell you all about the weekend and the awesome gifts I received. One great thing about a Fall birthday is new clothes!

Friday night we had dinner with my in-laws. She made an awesome Mexican (my favorite!) feast so we ate until we could barely move. And I was SOOO excited when I opened their gift, something I have been lusting after for over a year! Love it!

Saturday we slept in a little bit and cleaned the house after breakfast. Must have a clean house to entertain our friends!
Then we headed out after a shower to use my free birthday appetizer coupon at Rock Bottom. It had been a long time since we were there and it was fun. We had a beer with our appetizer of course.
We stopped in at Pac Sun next door and I found a cute casual striped top and a grey bag on sale. MrHoppy bought them both for me. The top is different than anything I own. It has a twist/knot thing in the back which is a little pop of sexy. I wore a black bra under it for some color Saturday night.

After a stop at the liquor store and Target we headed home. I was SOOOO excited when the garage door opened to reveal another surprise! MrHoppy bought me this little cruiser I have been wanting for awhile now. I rode it around all night! It is so cute and fun. We want to do a little bar crawl downtown before the weather gets too cold on our bikes. If we make it I promise to take pictures!

Cutie bike!

The party Saturday ended up being so much fun. Friends stopped by throughout the night to celebrate with us. We set up beer pong in the garage and it ended up being a hit! I know, sometimes we act like we are still in college. Why not?

In all honesty we spent most of Sunday relaxing. Some of us over-did it Saturday night. :) Then the accident happened. We were cleaning up the garage and decided to put away all our camping gear. MrHoppy was pushing things up onto the shelf he built above our garage. I was walking around picking things up and handing them to him when a big bucket FULL of stuff fell down directly onto my head. It knocked me right out. Cold. I came to lying on the garage floor and just started crying. It was a combination on confusion, being scared and damn, it hurt! I can't remember the last time I cried like that. As if my hangover headache wasn't bad enough. He felt so terrible and spent the afternoon taking care of me. I was fine, I had a knot for about a week but it wasn't too big of a deal. Kind of ruined our afternoon though.

We met my sister, BIL, nephew and parents for dinner that night. It was so much fun even if our server was super annoying. I swear, having been in the industry for so long I think I'm tested with bad service often. Or do I notice more because I know how it should go? Regardless, it was a very fun night with my family.

I took Monday off work and my sister and I took O to the zoo. It was a fun and beautiful day! MrHoppy was disappointed he had to work. After work he had class until 8:30. So my Mom and I met at the mall where I spent most of my birthday money! I LOVE shopping. I bought things I don't normally splurge on which was fun. I was most excited about this: The Urban Decay Naked Palette! I've been waiting for this for awhile now! I love it!

I also brought home 2 pairs of skinny jeans (black and grey), leg warmers (yes, I'm doing it!), a navy v-neck sweater, a scarf, and a pair of earrings. Most everything was bought at Forever 21. I'm not hard on clothes at all so when I want to stretch my dollar I take the time to shop there. It can be frustrating to find the right sizes for an adult body but worth it if you have the time. I wanted a few more things but ran out of money!

Lastly my Mom and I went to Nordstrom's for a professional bra fitting. I heard they do the best job and I wasn't disappointed. The woman who helped me was very professional and knowledgeable. She helped me find 2 perfect bras. The first is a convertable (regular straps, halter, racer back, strapless) nude bra. I have never worn a strapless like this one. NEVER. It's amazing. The 2nd was on sale and is awesome as well. Both were pricey but SO worth the money. I was wearing the wrong size as they say MOST women are... I was measured at Victoria's Secret and have been buying the wrong size since. I must say - I'll never buy bras there again. The quality, selection and knowledge of my new bra lady can't be beat!

Let me know if you want the details on the bras. I can check at home and let you know. They are amazing, I highly recommend! The bras I was wearing were too large around and too small in the cup. Who knew?

So that was my birthday weekend. Busy, fun and I was spoiled rotten. I can't believe September is almost over...

Road Trip!

We have a close friend who graduated with his doctorate last month so 5 of us road tripped it to Nebraska for his graduation weekend. 5 adults in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We made it work. :) It was a W-I-L-D weekend! These boys all grew up together so when they all get together - watch out! It was a blast. C arranged a "Tournament of Champions" that included Texas Hold 'Em, Bowling, and Putt Putt Mini Golf. I didn't place well overall but I DID take 2nd in the poker tournament. 2nd to MrHoppy who took first! This was the best event to win as we walked away with some cash. :)

Night 1: Poker Tournament. It went so late we had to finish up Sunday afternoon. First and 2nd place baby!

MrHoppy's Uncle. Yes, we took a keg with us everywhere we went in that hotel. I'm pretty sure the staff HATED our guts.

We are so proud of him!! Our Doctor. :)

Cute boys. How does a little mountain town produce such good lookin' men?

Horrible picture. But, it shows the 4 of them together. Love it!

Night 2: Bowling! I am NOT a bowler. I think I took 2nd to last. But I have fun and I (sort of) try.
MrHoppy and M

MrHoppy didn't have the best scores either. He was sad.

What is he doing to her?! We may have been drinking a bit... :)

M and me. We had such a great weekend together!

See that score?? Ignore the 45 and look at the 198! That is M's score. She is a bowling shark!

Labor Day - Better Late than Never!

I know I keep saying it but man, we are so busy! Between MrHoppy taking classes now that school has started, me going to the gym as much as possible and work - I feel like we barely have a chance to sit down and catch up, much less blog! But I promise, I'll be better and I have lots of fun photos to share!

We had a great 3 day weekend celebrating Labor Day. And what did we do? What else? Camping! This was a fun trip though, we went with my brother in law's family. They own land in a beautiful place here in CO and we love going up there. It's so peaceful and gorgeous. I got lots of quality time with MrHoppy, my sister and of course my nephew. He's growing up so fast!

It was a weekend of family, fun, horseshoes, grilling and of course, BEER!

He was in the middle of showing his "pretty eyes". Silly kid.

Hanging out around the fire with the family.

K made awesome kbobs for our first dinner. Chicken, peppers, onion and pineapple. Grilled over an open fire, can't beat it!

Hats off to people that photograph kids - How do you get them to look at the camera?! What a cute family. It was gorgeous weather, chilly at night but warm during the day. This was dusk and we were still only wearing hoodies.

A very loved little boy. Did I mention that I think he understands there's going to be a new baby? He calls her "sis" and kisses his mama's belly. Such a sweet boy!

What a good lookin' family!

Looking at his crazy Uncle "Bubba". Anything motorcycle related and it makes him think about his Uncle

Playing on the dirt bike with Uncle

Day 2 hike. I love this hike, we do it every time we are up there.

MrHoppy looking cute as usual

Look at these views!

Taking a rest at the top. It's short but pretty steep. Giz doesn't join us on these hikes, he waits patiently back at camp for us to return!

This was a creepy situation. K's Mom found this pile of rocks, sticks and shoes. There were TONS of shoes all arranged inside the sticks and rocks. OLD shoes. We were all super creeped out, I think it was actually set up on their land! You can imagine the stories we came up with about the set up. Blair Witch Project anyone??

O wouldn't nap this day and was pretty grumpy. It made him laugh to hold him, dip him and let my hair tickle his face and then come up for kisses. Giggles and smiles until it was time for bed!

Kisses for Auntie!

The battery on our point and shoot was dead, dead, dead. Hence no photos after dusk. We put the DSLR away when the sun went down. It would be NO fun to have a broken camera!

I was sad it was the last camping trip of the year. But, I'm loving the Fall weather that has finally arrived in CO. This weekend is my birthday so we're having dinner with the in-laws tonight, a night with friends tomorrow and dinner with my family Sunday. I have Monday off, hooray for 3 day weekends! I'm looking forward to some shopping with my Mom!

Random Updates from a BAD Blogger

Where did August go? Where did 9 days of September go? My life has been so busy and chaotic!

I have loads of pictures for posts and just need to make the time to write them!

Work is crazy but good. Really good. Exciting. :)

Life is busy but good. MrHoppy is doing so well in his new job. Classes start next week which will be challenging but we'll make it work. (I sound like Tim Gunn!)

Working out is good. I'm doing it, I'm making the time.

Eating has been total crap. I'm working on improving that. I WILL do it.

My birthday is in a week. I love my birthday but funds are tight this year. We'll do something fun on the cheap!

If you are still reading my blog - thank you. I promise I'll be better and way more entertaining. There's a lot going on, I just need to make time to share it!

TGIF Everyone!

The Black Cloud

OK, for the last 3 days MrHoppy has had a black cloud over his head. I'm ready for the skies to part and for sun to shine down on him! His black cloud is bringing me down too folks...

Last Thursday he was SO excited - his new iPhone finally came in! We spent the evening getting it set up, updating his aps and inputting his information. It was quite an upgrade from the phone he had with his previous carrier. We are such Apple people.

Then on Sunday he went dirt biking with his cousin. Do you see where this is going? T's bike wouldn't start to MrHoppy went back to get pliers. Fast forward to a wreck on the dirt bike. His phone and the pliers were in his camelback together. Guess whose screen was smashed by the pliers? 2 whole days of using his new phone and it's ruined. We're trying to check on getting it replaced but it's not looking good. $199 is where we're at right now. And that's $199 we don't have after purchasing the phone just last week...

He was so sad. I was sad for him. He just can't keep anything nice!

Yesterday he had a REALLY rough day. I guess it was just annoying in general anyway. And got worse when a can of black spray paint exploded on him. Yes, you read that correctly. A can of BLACK spray paint exploded on him at work! To top that off he drove home dirty and with traffic his commute took twice as long. He opens the door, finally home to a disgusting stench of poop. Dog poop. Poop from a very sick dog...

I have photos of this explosion but I'll spare you. Our Ridgeback got a case of explosive diarrhea in her kennel. It was everywhere. Everywhere. All over her, the wall, the kennel, the dresser, the carpet, her bedding. Poor baby, who knows how long she sat in her own filth while we were at work. It was the straw that broke the camel's (his) back. Poor guy was still cleaning when I got home. Covered in spray paint of course.

B was outside shivering - he had given her a bath with the hose and she was miserable. And had been sick 4 more times in the back yard. I have her an anti-diarrheal and that was the end of the explosions but she still isn't feeling well today. We're not sure what upset her tummy - she rarely gets sick. But she's holding down water, eating cottage cheese and doesn't seem to be in pain. I was so glad we weren't up all night with her.

I hate when our babies are sick, they are so helpless and can't tell us what is wrong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well today while we're at work. My sister is going to try to check on her too. And I hope this is the end of MrHoppy's little unlucky streak. If it's not - this is going to be one LONG week! I also hope the spray paint comes off his neck and head sometime soon... He looks pretty silly right now!

Summer Concert

MrHoppy and I are lucky enough to still have friends in the town we attended college. So we have an excuse to sneak up there for a night out every once in awhile. Some of our friends have connections in said small town so this year we were able to get free Bunk House passes for the Clint Black concert. Woo Hoo. The Bunk House includes free booze and food so you can imagine how fun our night turned out. ;)

Am I a huge fan of country music? No. Am I a big Clint Black fan? Nope. Did I pay attention to the concert? Not really. We were too busy socializing and catching up with friends we don't see often! But we did have a really fun night and I'm glad we went. Who doesn't love an outdoor concert in the Summer?

MrHoppy with our friend K. K is married to one of MrHoppy's roommates from college.

MrHoppy hanging with said-friend K and another old roommate J

My sister and her hubby. Being el-pregnant-o she sweetly volunteered to drive our butts home. I may or may not have drunkenly talked her ear off for the entire hour long ride! Love you sis!

Sisters! We always take photos of ourselves this way for some reason. As do MrHoppy and I

Case in point

K & K nearing the end of the night. It was a fun one!

I really love Summer. But I'm always ready for the season changes we get here in Colorado. We're nearing my favorite time of year - Fall! It's sooooo beautiful here in the Fall, I can't wait. I'm dreaming of football, chili, pumpkin beer and crisp mornings!

Camp Colorado

We have been doing A LOT of camping this Summer. So much so that I'm rarely home on weekends. MrHoppy and I are lucky that we enjoy so many of the same pasttimes, especially when it comes to the outdoors. We both love to camp and we make it a priority in the Summer.

I think I posted last year about MrHoppy's family and their annual Family Campout. We did it again a few weeks ago and had such a great time. We left for our usual spot near Grand Lake right after work Thursday evening and stayed until Sunday morning. It was family time full of beautiful sights, sunsets, dirt bikes, hikes, beer, camp fires, and my favorite animals: Moose!

Setting up camp with the small group that made it up Thursday night

B waiting for everyone to get set up. She is so good about staying at camp without being tied up but while we were all busy I didn't trust it!

Giz hanging out in his coat with M. He is like a little baby

Sunset over the mountains. Can you blame us for loving being up there?

Full moon. M and I played with my new camera forever trying to get a perfect shot. I still have SO much to learn but she is really helpful.

Cooling off in MrHoppy's Aunt and Uncle's camper. It was soooo hot during the day! L thought she was one of us.

There I am getting ready for a ride!

It rained the first day so it was unusually cold the first night. I slept in my beanie with Gizmo!

A shot from the car on the way up

A shot of the lake from the car

Another gorgeous sunset

Full moon

Full moon with embers from the fire

They don't call it Colorful Colorado for nothin'

Fantastic view from the top of our hike.


Unfortunately MrHoppy and I did not defend our horseshoe tournament title. We took 2nd. Damn! It was all in good fun though. T & M, we're coming for you next year!