A Little Sunshine!

Ain't Life Sweet?

I'm Thankful for Jessy!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful 11 year old sister Jessy!! She is visiting me until tomorrow & I am so lucky to get to have her her over her birthday! We have had so much fun & today has been even better than all the other days!

First thing this morning - Birthday girl!

She caught me while I was doing my hair!
Crazy lady.

We woke up bright & early so we could go get some McDonald's breakfast. [I'm pretty sure McDonald's is her favorite place to eat! -and mine, who am I kidding?] We were a little irritated when we got there because they didn't have either of the things we wanted on their menu. Freaking Micky D's! We were able to find something we both liked though!

Connor is wondering why we are going out in the
cold so dang early in the morning!

I have had a surprise planned for Jessy for about a week and a half, but she has had no idea what it is! She usually demands to know surprises, so I was pretty proud of myself for being able to keep this one from her!!!

I surprised her with an appointment at a nail salon to get her very first pedicure! Turning 11 & getting a pedicure. Not too shabby =) She was completely surprised & loved every second of it! She kept asking things like, "what's this part?" and "why are they putting that scrub on?". She had no idea what a pedicure even consisted of before today!

Needless to say, she is hooked! This might have to be a yearly birthday tradition! Pedicures with the big sis!

After our pedicures, Reese & Connor met us over at good ol' DQ for some lunch & a Blizzard! She told me the reason she wanted to go there was because, "I like their fries, I like their food, & I like their ice cream." You really can't argue with that!

After lunch we went over to the Dollar Store and had a lot of fun roaming the aisles. Jessy picked out 5 things she wanted & I picked out a hat for her...

I am making her wear it everywhere we go!!

The rest of the afternoon we are going to lounge on the couch, play some Dance Central 3, watch chick flix, & just hang out! Tonight I am making her favorite food for dinner: Steak & green peppers! [Reese isn't going to complain about steaks! Am I right, Justins?!]

We have to take Jessy home tomorrow & I am pretty bummed out. We have had so much fun this past week & I can't wait for her to come back again!

Happy Birthday to one of my amazing sisters!!! I love her so much & I am so thankful for her & all she does for me. She makes me so happy!

Me Again

Welp, I have decided that I am going to get back to the old Steph, the woman who felt like the world was at her fingertips & like nothing could get her down!

I want that back. I want to be fierce, strong, saucy, & amazing! Even if I am the only one who I thinks I am all of those things, at least I will feel them again!

Most of all though, I just want to be happy! I want to wake up every morning, with a smile on my face, & feel in control of my life! I am going to make it happen.

I have started working out everyday...Ok, I am going to start today! Even if I don't lose weight & get my pre-baby body back, at least I will get some endorphins pumping through my veins & feel better. I just want to be healthy! Also, I am going to start eating healthier! No more Dr. Pepper with every meal! [Don't get me wrong, I can't say goodbye to my dear friend for good, I am just going to cut back.] Less fried foods, more veggies! Endorphins & healthy-ness running through my body!

I've decided to whiten my teeth too. Oh yeah, I went & spent a bajillion dollars on some white strips & I am going to do them everyday! Not once a month, not once a week, but everyday until I do the whole pack! I spent the money, I want the whiter teeth!

I may or may not hit the tanning beds just a FEW times as well. Don't lecture me on how bad it is for me & blah blah blah! I know. I know it's not amazing for me, BUT I do know that it makes me feel better about myself. It makes me feel pretty & like I have less flaws in my skin! So, tanning a few times! Maybe. It's on my list of things I may do. Because I wouldn't mind looking like her again...

White teeth, tan skin, & skinny! Ahh. Yes please! I like me now, I like the person I am. I LOVE being a momma!!! I do miss doing the little things to lift me up though. I spend every waking [and sleeping, to be honest] moment thinking about Connor & how to be a top notch momma to him, because that is the most important thing to me, but I have been doing it for 5 months now & I am kinda getting the hang of it! I think I am getting the hang of it enough to take a little bit of time to do the things that make me feel like me again!

So, here's hoping I am not just a bunch of talk & that I can get healthy, happy, & beautiful again! Let's take care of me to enable me to be the best momma on the planet!

Staying Glamorous Despite The...

Being a momma is the best! I love it every second of every day. I get to sit & snuggle with my cute little guy while ignoring all the housework! Granted, I change a lot of diapers everyday [today I have changed 11 & counting]. Diapers really aren't all that bad. It's a good trade off if you ask me; diapers for this...

I'll take a poopy diaper everyday if it comes along with this cute face & snuggle time.

Although, being a dad might be a little less glamorous. Reese & I have a little routine down. I feed Connor & Reese burps him. It started when Connor was first born & I didn't have the hang of doing everything alone yet, & it just stuck.

Connor has never been one to spit up. In his lifetime he has probably spit 5 times total. [We feel quite lucky about that!] Of those 5 times, Reese has been holding him....every time.

Once, Connor spit up so much that it went into Reese's pajama pants pocket. We were home & lounging so it wasn't that bad [says the person with no puke in her pocket...], it cleaned up relatively easily.

Recently Connor has started to plan his puking for when Reese is just about to go back to work after a lunch break. See, Connor & I get lonely and we really miss Reese while he is at work, so Connor came up with this brilliant plan - puke on Papa & then he'll have to stay and play with me & momma! [Too bad the plan doesn't work & Reese just changes his clothes!]

So I guess the moral of the story is...Being a papa is quite a bit messier than being a momma, even with all those poopy diapers.

does that make me a cat?...

Disasterous

I live in a smallish town, so when I go out I don't expect a "big city" treatment. I expect to have a good time, but not exceptional service. It just isn't expected or required by really anyone in town, so it isn't given.

Tonight Hubs, baby & I went out to dinner with some friends. [Really good friends that we love very much!] I won't say where we went, because as I mentioned previously it is a small town & you don't want to really bad mouth anywhere or anyone. Though, we only have 5 or so acceptable restaurants so if you live here you can probably guess where we went!

Aside from the great company & conversation, our evening was horrendously bad. I need to grab my thesaurus to help me think of some words to describe how awful the service, food, & timing was. Alas, I am lazy so I shan't.

Oh, the absolute best part of this horrific evening is that the food is extremely overpriced. I am talking, double the amount of Hubs & I going to PF Chang's China Bistro [which is my all time favorite, but a little spendy]. I don't mind spending money on a good meal, but I do mind spending money on an awful meal.

Night [almost] ruined. If we didn't have great friends we wanted to spend time with we would have just stayed home, made some chicken & watched Austin Powers. Hmm, that sounds like a good Sunday evening plan...At least we have good friends that we can laugh about it with.



P.S. I never said I'd have anything of worth to write about, I just said I'd be back to writing!

Zombie No More

Ahh, it feels good to be back among the living again. It's funny how I consider sitting at a computer, alone, typing to ambiguity back among the living! Regardless, I am back.

Last night, after getting back on the wagon [again], I went through & read some of my old posts. Such a fun stroll down memory lane; it was like a time warp.  My life is exponentially different than it was last time I wrote.

For instance I am not working anymore, instead I am back to being a "housewife". Although, I guess I could be called a "stay-at-home-mom" now, because I am! I love it. There really aren't words to describe the elation my Little Guy brings to me!

I cook a lot. I used to make dinner 4 or 5 nights a week. The other nights we'd have a frozen something or other or go out to eat. Not anymore. I cook lunch & dinner 7 days a week! What the what? Me & the hubs are trying to be super healthy, so I am a cooking maniac. Really, it's a problem! I guess it keeps me nice & occupied though!

Mostly, I am pretty lazy. All. The. Time. I watch a lot of Netflix. Ok, maybe not a lot....but ya know, a couple hours a day. Is that a lot?...[Don't judge me!]

I am productive though, too. I clean! Well, I try to. Mostly I want to just sit on the couch/bed & snuggle my little Connor. So recently, I decided to make myself a cleaning schedule to help me get everything done.

I like lists. They help me feel productive. Well, they help me be productive! When I have a list of stuff in front of me that I need to get done & that I can check off, it really helps me be oober productive! Although, I made this list on Thursday...and it didn't make sense to start at the end so I have decided to wait until Monday comes around to get started =) Don't get me wrong, my house isn't a disaster zone, it just needs the regular upkeep.

Anyway, this has been a hodgepodge mess of jibberish. Maybe someday soon I will gather my thoughts & have a more normal post. Lesbihonest though, I'm not all that normal, so my posts never will be!

Fail.

Dear Readers, I suck. I know this. I am fully aware of this. I can't help it. I lasted about 4 days on my 30 day challenge! Life got in the way - which it always does. That dang life!

Speaking of life, though, it's good! Busy, but good. The hubs & I spent the weekend in Laramie with his family. We went to the UW vs. TCU football game & had so much fun. Well...let's be honest, I only stayed until half time - but that was still fun. I like football. I like spending time with the family. I don't like freezing my butt off. I did cute a cute new hat though...

After I left at halftime, Brittany & I went and hung out at her new salon. Salon 220 - It's awesome, looks great, & everyone that knows anyone that lives in Laramie should send people there! She gave me a great cut & color! I've been wanting something new for a long time & I finally did it. It's time to be a little shorter. Long hair is so last year!

*camera phone picture, sorry.*

We had lots of fun with the family - eating good food, playing some fun games, making inappropriate that's what she said jokes. All the good stuff! It always gets a little bit silly when Reese & his brothers get together. They revert big time. They crack us all up!

And...last but certainly not least - I got a new computer! Oh yeah! Reese's dad got a new computer & had a practically new one that he wasn't going to use anymore. He gave it to me! So right now, I am sitting on my couch with my new computer on my lap! Gotta love life!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Enjoy your week =)

Your Favorite TV Shows.

Oh boy, oh boy! There are so many; I don't know where to begin....First of all, we don't have cable. We don't even have local channels. We watch all of our shows either on Blu Ray after they come out or on Hulu during the season. [Hulu is amazing. Seriously! We love it.] It does make it a little difficult to be up to date on all of our favorites, but we manage alright.

1. Grey's Anatomy. I have watched it since the beginning & I love it. I love the characters, the drama, the story, everything.
2. Bones. Oh Bones! I can't WAIT for the new season. November 3rd cannot get here soon enough!
3. The Mentalist. We have seen season 1-3, but have not been able to catch any of the current season. [cbs.com kind of sucks for watching shows...just saying.] It's amazing though. My dad turned us on to it & we love it!
4. Parks & Rec. Need I say more?
5. 30 Rock. Amazing. Tina Fey is basically a genius & we laugh our butt's off every episode.
6. Raising Hope. We just recently found this on Netflix & we love it. We've decided we must really be redneck hicks deep down, because of how much we enjoy everything that happens in the show.
7. The Office....I used to REALLY love The Office, but I feel like they've been really trying to stretch it out for a while. Who knows if it'll stay on my list forever.
8. Person of Interest. This is a new one that just started this year & we love it! Holy moly. Reese basically loves Jim Caviezel & it's BEN from Lost, so you can't really go wrong there.
9. How I Met Your Mother. That's another one we have watched since the beginning & we love the characters, but come on guys - show us the mother already!
10. The Big Bang Theory. Oh the nerds. They make us laugh! We love to laugh.

Alrighty, there's my pathetic little list of current shows that we watch. Now I'm going to get back to lounging around & watching TV on my Sunday afternoon! Enjoy yours & have a good week!

Your Job.

Oh rats. I promised I wasn't going to write about my job anymore. But...It's part of the 30 day challenge, so I have to - right? I'll make it short & sweet.

My job is good. I like it a lot. I am a Customer Service Rep at a bank, but really - I am a bank teller. I don't know why they don't just call me a "teller". They want to seem all important or something. Regardless, I really enjoy it.

My hours are a little longer than I thought they would be, but hopefully that won't last forever. There are only 3 tellers right now & soon there will only be 2. Once we get a little better staffed the hours should even out.

We are really busy some days & really slow others, so it makes everyday feel a little different & exciting. I know  I haven't worked there for very long, but I don't feel bored at all with my routine.

The pay is good. The benefits are good. I enjoy the people I work with. All in all, it's a great job & I love having it. I feel so blessed!

Someone Who Inspires You The Most - Big Chris.

So, as you know I have two siblings named Chris. No, my parents are not lunatics - one of the Chris's came by marriage. [Although we shouldn't totally rule out the lunatic theory - for other reasons ;)]

Maybe you are wondering why I didn't write about Big Chris in yesterdays post about siblings? Well, because I knew today's whole post would be about him & I didn't want all of my other siblings to think I loved him more or something =) So, it's a little late but much longer.

Big Chris inspires me for so many reasons. He was an only child for most of his life, yet he wasn't a brat & accepted all 6 of us easily. He quickly treated us all like true family & it helped us all to actually become one.

He is so kind & friendly. He gets along with just about everyone! He can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger & the stranger will walk away feeling better about themselves. That's just how Chris is; he makes you feel better.

He is such a hard worker & has accomplished so many things. He is an Eagle Scout, he served a worthy LDS Mission, He graduated from BYU. Those are just some of the bigger ones in his life, but he accomplishes so much so often.

I look up to him! Until he came along I was the oldest & I was the one to set the example for all of my siblings. When Big Chris joined our family I had a big brother. I got to know what it was like to look up to an older sibling & have them set an example for me. He is the best example of a big brother & a person. I want to be as great as he is someday.

Your Siblings.

Ahh, this is going to be a fun one. I'm a Mormon, so obviously I have lots of siblings =) Better get started or we'll be here all night!

Chris: Aka Croke, Aka Elder Claflin. He is serving his Mission right now in Aix-en-Provence, France & loving every minute of it! He will be coming home August 2012 & we can't wait to see him. I am so glad he's out there serving the Lord, but I do miss him. He & I are close in age & are very close. He is one of my best friends!

James: Aka Jamie, Aka Jip. Jamie & I are very similar! For a while we would butt heads because we were so alike, but we have figured out how to balance each other out & we get along very well. We have gotten really close & I love him so much. We can laugh & talk about anything. Whenever I want to talk I give him a call. Whenever he wants to talk to Reese he gives me a call. Maybe someday he will actually call me to talk! =)

Samantha: Aka Sammy, Aka Sami. My first youngest sister. She is gorgeous & outgoing. All other girls out there need to watch out! She is the sweetest person I know; she always puts other's needs before her own. She lived with us for a while & it was great. We got close to each other & I love having a friend in her.

Bret: Aka Brogan. He is the life of any party. He is amazing at voices & impersonations. He makes me laugh so hard! He can make anyone laugh at anytime. He is quite a few years younger than me, but we get along very well. I sure love him!

Jessica: Aka J, Aka Jessy. She is the baby of the family. She is outgoing, adorable, friendly, & fun. She is so smart; much to smart for her age! She says things that take us all by surprise & make us laugh awkwardly. She has a "store" in the basement of my mom's house where she sells all of her belongings - which we all have gotten for her. So we are basically buying the same stuff twice. She loves it & we love to support her.

I am so lucky to have the 5 greatest siblings in the whole world; I love them all with all of my heart!

Your Dreams.

Sometimes I dream about work. Sometimes I dream about a tv show I watched the night before. Sometimes I dream about Vampires. Sometimes I dream about tragic things happening to loved ones. Sometimes I dream about being not awesome - then I wake up & realize I'm still awesome so I fall right back to sleep ;)

Ok, but really I have some big dreams for my life & my future. Maybe they are just practical dreams that everyone has, but whatever - they are my dreams currently.

I dream of owning a house within a year. We want to know where we are going to be, settle in, stay put, & live in our own house. Oh man, all the painting & decorating I can do! It will be amazing.

I dream of being a mommy. I dream of getting pregnant & feeling a baby grow inside of me & then actually having my own little human! I dream of being a good mom, not just a mom.

I dream of being able to be a stay at home mom & spend all day with my wonderful kids. My mom got to stay home the whole time I was growing up & it was amazing. There is nothing better. I hope to give that to my kids someday.

And now I dream of not being late for work today. I better head out the door! Have a great day everybody =)

Your Parents.

I have so many great parents! Holy crap. Where do I begin?! Biological, I suppose?

My Dad, James. He is such a good dad to me. I am so grateful for him & all he does. He is kind, loving, caring, compassionate, & hilarious. We have a great relationship & I love him with all my heart.

My Mom, Amy. Until Reese she was my best friend. She is still a very close second. We get along so well & can talk about everything. We used to talk 4 or 5 times a day, but we are both so busy lately that we will go days without a good conversation. It's hard. I miss her. I am lucky to have her as my mom & I hope to be just like her when I'm a mother.

My StepMom, Kathy. She is so good to me. She is smart, kind, helpful, & loving. I am so grateful for all of the love she gives me & to my dad. She takes such good care of him & I know I don't have to worry about him since she's such a great family manager =)

My Father-in-Law, Ray. He's kind of quiet and in the background - until he has a good story to share, then you better watch out! He is very funny & kind. He raised a great son & I hope Reese will end up just like him.

My Mother-in-Law, Cresta. Where do I begin? She is great. She is the kindest person I know with the biggest heart in the world. She is hilarious & an amazing cook! I love her so much.

My Taddy-Daddy, Tadd. I don't know where I'd be without him [& Kara and my Grammy]. They took me in when I really needed somewhere to be & they truly are like other parents to me. I look up to them & love them so much. Plus, Tadd is hilarious & we could laugh for years and years!!


Ok, well that's the list on my parents! I know it was a little longer than the normal list of 2, but I have a lot of great parents in my life.

I hope you are all having a great week! Enjoy Tuesday.