Tree pics and a pinky promise!

Twas the night before Thursday and all through the house, you could hear a strange clicking...it sure wasn't a mouse.  Two lazy dogs laid in their bed, while visions of rawhides danced in their head.....

Tonight it was just me and my camera....and our Christmas tree...and a couple of camera-shy (er, lazy) dogs....and my laptop -- ok, more than just me and my camera, but who's keeping tabs?!

I've recently joined pinterest www.pinterest.com and found a pin on how to photograph your Christmas tree.  I've always liked the "artsy" look of tree pictures, when the lights are all blurry.  With a new camera, it's time to try it for myself!    I read this blog tonight and decided to give it a try.    I love how thorough she was on explaining things.  After a few more googles of things (like how to change the f-stop on my new camera*), I was in business.  Minus the camera-shy dogs who decided to hang out on their bed, I set up my tripod and adjusted some settings.  And re-adjusted.  And re-re-adjusted.  I decided to ditch the tripod and steady myself.  I turned the tree some because some of the "prelit" lights were out and I had some, uh, bare-ish spots on the tree.  Click, click, delete.  I could hear the sensor in my camera working double time as I snapped away!  After about 30 minutes, I was satisfied with my first attempt at Christmas tree pictures.  Here are a few straight out of the camera shots: 

Here I used my 50mm canon lens...ISO at 800, shutter at 160 and aperture at 1.8....

you know, in case you wondered!

This is one of my favorite ornaments that we bought this year....you guessed it, in Las Vegas!

I am just in love with these pictures and can't wait to try more!  Break out your camera and share your own Christmas tree pics!  I'd love to see them!!

*No, I still don't use manual settings on my camera (usually, though I do try some).  It is my goal for 2012 to break free from the green auto box that has it's grip on me!  I will make it my mission to learn (and understand) the settings on my beloved Canon.  Pinky promise.

Lately....

Well, hellooooo!  Yes, I haven't been around in a while.  I'm sorry!  I've been spending most of my time over here, on our adoption blog.  Things have been going whirl-wind quick since we switched adoption agencies and we are so excited!  Go read for yourself! 

So, what have we been up to lately?  Let's see....

I have...
-photographed my first real wedding a couple of weeks ago.
-maintained my weight that I lost, but have disappointed myself by not reaching my 2nd goal.  What?!     I've been busy.  Yea, that's my excuse!
-been watching both of my nephews on Fridays.  I love it. 
-grew my hair out pretty long and got it cut the other day, totally wishing I would have went shorter.  I only get my hair cut once in a blue moon, so I am pretty distraught over this.  Ok, no I'm not....but I would like it shorter.
-thought lots and lots about simplifying our life.  I'd like to start by losing satellite tv.  This should not be a hard decision!

Bill has....
-started a new job at a different coal mine that he loves.  He has every weekend off and is home at a decent time for supper!
-shot 2 deer this season, but coudn't find either of them.  He was pretty upset about this. 
-helped my sister and bother in law with the addition they built on their house.  I'm so lucky to have such a handy man!
-agreed with me 100% on dumping satellite tv.

Grace has....
-started 4th grade and is realizing it's a bit more grown up than 3rd grade!
-gotten a new bow for her birthday and has been shooting with her dad....she's pretty good!
-been singing her heart out (in the shower, while watching tv, while eating breakfast...you get the point) to Justin Bieber, some "China-something" girl or band, and some good old Johnny Cash, to name a few.
-been enjoying being a big cousin for the 2nd time.
-been very excited to become a big sister soon!
-not been too happy at the thought of dumping satellite.  Whatever will she do?!?!  ha.

I need to post some pictures, I know.  Sorrrry!  Will work on that sometime between editing pictures from previous mentioned wedding.  Hope you are all doing well! 

Just some sentences

Had a surprise birthday party for my sister today.
Her birthday isn't for 2 weeks.

I love my Aunt Patty.

I can't help but laugh when I watch Swamp People and I hear the one guy talk. 
Yea, that one!

My not-so-little-but-still-little-to-me Kourtney graduated 8th grade yesterday.
Boohoo!

I need to work on delegating my time more productively.
My bangs have grown out so quickly.

I've heard it's the year of the locust, and I think it's gross.

I love my dad's girlfriend Pam.
It's awesome to be a part of her family.
I think she's glad to be a part of ours!

My eyesight is getting horrible.

Losing weight is hard.

Forgiving (and/or forgetting) is even harder, especially when you think you shouldn't have to.

My dad's car smells like my Grandpa Kopec's car always did.

That makes me smile every time I get in it.

I'm tired and going to bed!
Good night!

Chace turned 3 years old on May 2. This little boy has filled my heart with so much love, I never even knew it was possible! I believe that this kid is growing up thinking that his birthday is a week long celebration....though I don't think there's anything wrong with that! I kind of think that everyone should celebrate my birthday for at least a week too! Really, though, Aunt Lisa celebrates him every day of the year in one way or another! On the day of his birthday, his Mommy stayed home from work and he got to skip day care. She made his favorite meal, spaghetti, and we all came over to celebrate. He decorated his own birthday cake too!



And just so you don't think he's a deprived child, here are some pictures from his "everyone" birthday party:

This, That, and These!!

How did these.......



Turn into this......



...and this.....



......and THAT?!?!?!



........THIS is how!!!!!!



But we still did end up with beautiful these!!!

Naptime

Bill and Tommy Girl having some lazy time.....

She's so sweet....he's not so bad either!!

Ernie's Egg Hunt

I know that I've blogged about Ernie before, but can't find him in my posts anywhere. I guess it's time to start tagging my posts! Anyway, Ernie is Grace's Christmas elf that Santa sent her a few years ago during the holidays. He was to keep an eye on her and report back to Santa on her behavior. Worked like a charm.....most of the time! haha Ernie would play little tricks (rearrange ou ornaments, make snow angels in flour, etc.) and would always leave a *little* present and a letter for Grace. She has fallen head over heels for Ernie over the years!

He often comes a few times throughout the year around other little holidays, birthdays, etc and plays his little trick and leaves a little gift. He came the other day and led Grace on an easter egg scavenger hunt which ultimately led her to him in her Easter basket with a roll of bubble tape (he had recently brought her some Crayola colored bubbles....big mistake!! He had to redeem himself!)

All of the eggs were well hidden with the exception of the first egg, which was in plain sight. Ernie's little hints were kind of cheesy, but had her tickled! Here are the hints he gave her:
1st - My, oh my, what can this be? An Easter egg hunt, a couple weeks early? Follow the clues and you will see a special little treat to you from me!

Find the first egg in the place for mail, it will start you off on this fun little trail!

- No letters today, just this egg for you! Find your next clue in the tree southeast of you!

- If you use this way of transportation, you can take a trip around the lake, or even a pond if you'd like. To find your next clue stop here, and no, it's not your bike! (boat)

- You can't take this next ride in water or air, but you use it to cut things, and not your hair (lawn mower)

- In days of old there were no cars, scooters, or bikes. You traveled by wagon or you'd take a hike. Those days are gone now, but pieces still remain. Look at Lisa's decorations for a piece that traveled rough terrain. (old wagon wheel)

- When the winds get crazy and the dogs are outside, find your next clue in the place that they would hide. (dog house)

- The weather's getting nicer and you'll soon be yelling "fore!", find your next clue in the bag that's not on the floor! (her golf bag in the attic of the garage)

- You've almost found me, I bet you can't wait! For your next clue, go back through the gate. You'll find it in the place your daddy likes to cook....hurry, go now, take a look! (grill)

- It took me a while to decide where to hid! Take 20 steps to the north, turn left and you'll find me inside!

And here was Ernie, hiding in the shed! His letter was full of details about how he and Santa ran into EBunny (that's how easter bunny signs his cards around here) at the premiere of Hop and that he said he would be making a trip here in a couple of weeks. She was beside herself, as she had just seen the movie. This is so fun, and can be easily done without Ernie! If you're wanting to have EBunny do this, I'd just leave a lonely egg where the baskets would normally be. All of the clues were just printed from the computer on strips of paper, cut and folded inside. If you decide to do something like this, I hope you had as much fun as we did! I have a feeling that EBunny will be doing the same thing this year! If you have any questions about Ernie and his little antics, feel free to ask!

In a nutshell....

I've got a lot of things I want to get done today, and sitting at the computer is not going to help me get them done!  My last post was Feb 14 though, so I don't want to fall into a non-blogging rut again!  So, just a quick one....This is what's been going on....in a nutshell....

...had to take Tommy dog to the vet this week.  She has a heart murmur and slight congestive heart failure.  With some treatments and meds for the rest of her life, she should be fine. 
---  Went to an auction and got some free window frames...
***  I've been eating too much candy...
===  Been exercising to Just Dance Kids on the Wii (not enough)...
+++  Got a new stove and microwave, thanks to our friends from up North...
$$$  Made a little extra money taking some pictures at work for their website...
!!!  Did some research on some adoption agencies...
&&&  Found the one that was NOT for us, still looking for the one that IS...
(((  Bill painted his new (old) boat and it looks 1,000 times better!
)))  Enjoyed the awesome weather we had a couple weeks ago, ready for spring!!!
@@@  Found a new craft for Grace and I to try making...
***  Working on turning my skin into the color of a tanned Goddess.  Hey, if the skin fits!!!  Right?!  No?!  Wellllll, hmph.
???  Delivered the pictures of the wedding I did, and the bride loved them.  Whew.
<<<  Called the electric company so we can start some demolition in the next few weeks...
>>>  I'm starting to think 100 sit ups a day doesn't cancel out things like the Snickers peanut butter I just ate (which was so not worth it, by the way)...

~~~There you have it, in a nutshell!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!       

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yeah, yeah, it's just another Hallmark holiday....so what?! My facebook has been flooded with so many people who talk about how they don't need a holiday to tell their s/o that they love them.....blah blah. I know every day of the year how old I am, but I still celebrate my birthday. Every day I appreciate my dad and how much he means to me, but I still celebrate Father's Day for him. Just enjoy today, give someone an extra hug, a kiss, a card. You will make their day, guaranteed! Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Bill is working and won't be home until 730 and he worked all weekend, so we're not doing anything special. I'm still not sure what to fix for supper....I should probably get on that! Whatever you're doing tonight, take an extra minute to let your valentine (whoever it may be) know how special they are to you!

10 reasons I love my Valentine:
1. He puts up with a lot of attitude from me.
2. He's really tall and can do things like change the light bulbs and reach things on high shelves at Wal Mart.
3. He finally shaved his beard/cut his hair.
4. He is an awesome carpenter/builder (TV stand/bookcase).
5. When I am out of soda he will go to Hucks and get me one, even though I say I don't really want one....because he knows I really do.
6. He gives awesome backrubs.
7. He works very hard for our little family.
8. He is a great cook.
9. He loves me unconditionally...of this, I am certain. He tells me every single day, regardless of my attitude mentioned in #1.
10. He shares his little Valentine below with me!

#142!

My wonderful husband has done it again! Another hand crafted piece of furniture, just like I wanted! Below is a picture of the TV/Entertainment stand that Bill has been working on to match the shelves he made last year.....now I just wait for end tables. Hope I'm not waiting another year! But now I understand why this stuff is so expensive a the country store....geesh! I am very thankful to have a husband that is so talented and is willing to make all of this for me.

I took some pictures at a VERY small wedding last weekend and am hoping to edit those over the next few days. I always said I would never do weddings, which I still will not do on my own, but this was an exception. My good friend Kelly asked for a big favor and I'd do just about anything for her! I will post some pics after I get some edited....

Grace has done well on her mid term report from school.....all A's EXCEPT in reading...a B! This kills me since I am a reading fanatic! When I go over the tests that she misses some on, she misses the silliest questions that she should not miss. She says it's because she hates the story because they are boring (which is somewhat understandable, they are pretty stupid sometimes). Bill had a pretty big talk with her about reading and how you will not always like it but you still have to do it. We talked to her about not just reading the story, but putting yourself there and visualizing it. After that talk, she has been reading like a fool! She woke up early this morning and instead of wanting to turn on the tv (which we don't do in the mornings anyway) she laid in bed and read a few chapters in a book! I am so happy, I may not have lost her yet!!

Like I said, here are a couple of pics of the tv stand and one of the bookcase from last year. And no, I was not watching a Nasa program on tv....not that there's anything wrong with that!

Since I'm at 140 posts, I asked my facebook friends for some help with ideas for 10 more posts to get me to 150.  I got one.  Thanks, guys.  BUT, that one had some good ideas.  Though I'm not sure that I will write about all of them, they will give me a start.  One of my good friend Angie's suggestions was "moving to different houses".  I'm not sure exactly what she meant, so we'll just start at the beginning and go from there!

I don't really remember a lot of the early moving days.  My parents divorced when I was 5ish I think and unfortunately we lived with her and visited my dad on the weekends.  We lived in a few different places with her, and finally for a few years lived in the same place in Thompsonville.  I hated living with her and her boyfriend.  Everything about it.  But, that's a different story.  I would cry and cry to go live with my dad.  I can't imagine now how he felt knowing how we lived.  But, when I was somewhere around 12, I finally got to go live with him because I could stay on my own after school until he got home.  What a change.  There weren't a dozen people crammed in a filthy trailer.....it was clean and there was peace and quiet. 

The next year, we moved to West Frankfort.  My dad's business was here, I assume that's the main reason why we moved.  I hated to leave, but was excited about a bigger school and meeting new friends.  Eventually, Amy and Raymond soon followed and moved in with us.  Everything was fine until....he married this money loving rhymes with witch  lady named Lori.  She was ok in the beginning, she had to put on a show I'm sure of it.  She had a little boy that moved in with us and over time, jealousy sat in with me.  I hated it.  Her true colors came out, and to this day I will swear that she told lies about things I had said/done just to get me in trouble.  Yet again, that's a different story, and it's in the past. 

Since I never had a reliable, caring mother my Aunt Patty filled that void as much as she could.  She was who I ran to when I had issues and she was my saving grace.  I moved in with her and my Uncle and cousins when I was a Sr. in high school.  It was like deja vu all over again, leaving my friends just months before graduation, but something had to be done.  So, I moved to Sesser and started a new school all over again. 

I lived with Aunt Patty and Uncle Jerome until I met my future husband and I eventually moved in with him.  We moved a few times and finally bought a house in WF.  We both worked here and my family was here.  I loved the house, but it never felt like home to me.  Ultimately, we divorced and I moved out.  For the first time in my life, I lived a.l.o.n.e.  It was terrible.  Right after a divorce is awkward anyway, because your mutual friends don't know who to talk to so it was very lonely.  I thought I would love it, but I was bored.  All of the time. 

I found love again and moved in with Bill....all the way in Waltonville.  This was more in the sticks that living in Thompsonville!  I finished school at Rend Lake and we bought a house in WF, where we are still today.  I have packed and unpacked more boxes that I care to remember, but it really doesn't seem like that much to me now.  I'm not done, I know we won't stay here forever.  We both want to live in the semi-country and someday we will.  Moving sucks.  Living on my own sucked.  But, somehow it all worked out and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Well, there's 141....what's next?!

Best.Dog.Ever

Tommy is my dog that I've had since roughly 1999. Her whole life is centered around wanting you to pet her. And the occasional table scrap. And hugs from Chace. Ok, she lives for a lot! I had Tommy before I realized how loyal a dog could be. I feel guilty about it, but she spent a long time as an outside dog in a pin. Until several years ago that is. My dogs have turned into my kids. Yes, I am one of those people. I have a voice that I use that is reserved only for speaking my dogs thoughts. You know, what they would say if they could talk. Um, yeah. Anyway, they get table scraps when they shouldn't and they lay on the bed sometimes when Bill isn't here. I'm guilty of frantically looking for the sticky lint roller to get the dog hair off the bed right before Bill gets home. I spend way too much time in the dog treat aisle at Wal Mart worrying that they had chicken treats last time, would they want beef or bacon flavored this time? Insanity. They are not allowed on the new furniture. Ever. Well, sometimes Tommy is.

This summer, I noticed that Tommy had some lumps on her belly. I cried and cried knowing that they were cancer. She still acted fine, but didn't really want me to touch them. I guess I wouldn't really want people prodding at the lumps on my boobs either. So, a trip to Dr. Spence confirmed that they were breast tumors. Caused by her not being fixed and never having a litter of pups. I'm very thankful to the staff there for never making me feel like I should be shameful, though I knew I should. They suggested surgery to have her fixed and it would most likely cause them to stop growing. Cancerous, they wouldn't know. Not many people ever sent it off for biopsy. Fast forward a couple of weeks and she started acting very slow. She was pained to walk, groaned when I touchd her belly, and had started bleeding awful. I sat with her in my lap that night crying, knowing I had done her wrong. She'd just lick my had and look at me, letting me know I was forgiven, I think anyway. Bill rushed her to the vet the next day and she had an infection in her uterus. She had to take meds for a couple of days and come back for surgery.

Tommy made it through surgery and has recovered very well at home. She's still got her lumps, though they aren't growing. Dr. Spence said if they didn't seem to grow after surgery, we could just leave them alone as long as she seemed fine. She still doesn't like me feeling them every once in a while, but will accept any kind of loving she can get. Secretly, sometimes she's allowed on the furniture, like in these pictures with Chace. He looooves Tommy. He loves to give her hugs and pet her. He told me the other day that Tommy is his favorite. "She is my best dog ever" he said. You have no idea, little buddy.

*Disclaimer from the author: I love all of my dogs, and they are all the best.
Now, enjoy these pictures of Chace and his best.dog.ever.!!!

Ten for Today

1.  As I type this, my wooly mammoth husband is in the bathroom cutting his hair and shaving his beard.  Hallelujah, he won the bet and can get back to looking normal and not like some homeless man I picked up in South town a man that hasn't shaved since September. 

2.  I'm sick of being sick! 

3.  I've talked myself into reading the vampire books.  I knew I would't like them, because well, I'm just not into that kind of stuff.  I suffered through about 275 pages of Twilight before I had even the slightest interest.  I figured since I'd read the first one I should probably continue.

4.  I have to go for a minute because the wooly mammoth is requesting I trim his neck.

5.  Wowza, he looks so normal different now!

6.  We really need to get Grace a new bed to go along with her new room.

7.  We are joining the gym/pool in our town.  I'm excited to do this!  I'm hoping that paying to go somewhere will motivate me more.  Plus, the pool is really nice and Grace has a great time there.  Bill is looking forward to some weight lifting and time in the gym.  If you live in the area, you should really check it out.  We've really got a nice center here in WF.  You don't have to be a member to use the facility either!

8.  Grace took a class at a local little art studio and loved it.  She had gotten a couple of gift certificates for Christmas from my dad and is really excited about it.  She loves drawing/creating so this place is perfect for her.

9.  Chace spent the day with me today and he was so good for me today.  We had a fun day of reading books, playing on the bed, and watching hours upon hours of Tom and Jerry.  When Amy was here for lunch he pointed his finger at me and told me "You are getting on my nerves"!  I told him that if I was then he could just go back to school.  That changed his mind and I wasn't getting on his nerves anymore.  Then I had to tell him thank you because I wasn't getting on his nerves anymore.  Oh boy.

10.  I'm tired of trying to think of 10 things, so I will just leave a picture for #10!  Too bad the Bears didn't win last Sunday, my dad would have been very happy!  But, he was just as happy with his new picture of Grace and Chace, I'm sure of it!

Craft time!

Grace and I made some Valentine crafts the other day. We saw this in my Disney Family Fun magazine and thought we'd give it a try. All we did was mix some glue and water and dipped some cut pieces of yarn in it. Squeeze off excess glue and lay in heart cookie cutters. After they dried (the next day) we hung them with some ribbon. Fun and easy! I think we'll be making some easter eggs like this!

A gripe and a picture!

If you suffer through all of this reading, you'll find a funny picture at the end!

Ok, so the HSG I had yesterday showed nothing wrong with my tubes.  I was at the hospital from 11:30 until 2:15 for a 10 minute procedure for him to tell me nothing was wrong.  Here's what made me upset about yesterday.  On Jan 3, I called Dr. S's office to schedule this procedure at the request of Dr. K in St. Louis.  So, I make an appt and they want me to have Dr. K send over a letter of exactly what she wants him to look for on test.  It takes almost 2 weeks to get a letter sent to Dr. S office, but finally a letter was sent to him. 

SO, yesterday, here I am laying on a flat metal table (I know it sounds luxurious, but it wasn't) when he comes in asking me about what tube I want looked at.  He then is talking about the same test I had back in 2004 and what was found then.  I am dumbfounded for a few seconds and then tell him that he had done another test since then AND had performed surgery on my tube in 2009.  *When I just read back all of that it sounds a bit confusing, but please bear with me.*  My point is, I had to wait for a letter to be sent to him so he would know exactly what Dr K expected and apparently he hadn't looked it over before seeing me.  It just upset me a little, that's all!

So, from here I just wait to hear from Dr K and what they think I should do.  Aghhhh!!  I am so tired of this!

As promised, the great wooly mammoth!  Bill has a bet with his friend Ike that they will not shave their beards or cut their hair until April.  Ughhhhhhhhh.  Oh well, it's only a couple more months, right?  But, in this picture, he is working on building me a TV stand to match the book case he built last year.  He really should get into modeling, don't you think?  Yeah, you're probably right....but we won't tell him that. 

 

I'm going to the hospital today for another hysterosalpingogram.  It is not fun, but not the most awful thing I can think of.  A dye will be injected into my fallopian tubes and uterus and x-rays will be taken.  I have had this done twice before, so it's nothing new to me but still nothing I look forward to.  These xrays will show if my tube is a hydrosalpinx (fancy term for fluid filled).  This would have most likely been caused by scarring from the surgery I had on it in 2009. 

When doing an IVF, there is no use for your fallopian tubes because you are bypassing them with the process.  However, in some cases, if a tube is fluid filled that fluid may leak out and either wash away the implanted embryos or may be toxic to them.  IF this is the case with me, I will most likely need to have surgery to completely remove the tube.  It's a good thing I don't have any emotional attachment to this thing!  My Dr said it has probably been deformed since childhood (birth, maybe?), I've always had messed up cycles, and it may be the cause for 3 failed IVF's....get that sucker out of there!! 

A part of me is really hoping that this tube is the problem.  This is the ONLY thing that the Dr's can think of as to why none of my IVF's have worked.  No other solutions.  So, yeah, I'd like an answer.  On the other hand, who really wants something to be wrong with them?  Ugh.

Stay tuned for a little ditty about why I feel the IVF billing at Washington University in St Louis is a complete scam!  I really should get over this, but I can't!  After you read it, you'll have to let me know what you think! 

I was crazy sick with the flu yesterday! Next year, I am getting a flu shot! This is the 2nd time in a year that I've had it. I never used to get sick....or very often anyway. It seems since the end of Dec, I've been sick. I first had a severe sinus infection that took almost 2 weeks to clear up then I had a sickening cough that I still get when I laugh or breathe deep at all, and then the stinkin flu! I'm just hoping that I'm getting all my sickness out of the way for the year!

I was going through my pictures that I haven't posted lately and made a few collages.....
What do you get when you have a sister who is a self-proclaimed-part-time-photographer? Why, free pictures for your Christmas cards of course!! I took some pictures for my brother and sister for their Christmas cards and thought some of them turned out really well. Of course, it helps that I have a beautiful family to work with!

Amy, Shawn, and Chace:



Raymond and Erin:



Erin had asked me to take some pics for her and her twin sister, Emily, to give their mom for a Christmas present. The day was really windy, but I think they turned out pretty well. I think their mom was pleased as punch! They said they hadn't had any pictures taken together since they were around 9....I think. It had been a really long time anyway!

Ten for Today

Remember ages ago when I decided I was going to try something new, and Ten for Today was born into my blog? Wellllll, I think I only did one of those! An old (not really old, just from high school a long time ago) friend started a blog today and it got me to thinking of how lax I have been to my faithful few readers. Please accept my apologies! Without further ado (is that even how you would put that?!) here is another TforT!!

1. I am going to be an aunt again! I am very excited for a new little addition to our family. I will not lie and say that I am not disappointed that it will not be mine since the baby will be born when I should have had mine had my last IVF worked.....BUT, I am still very happy. In due time. I guess.

2. Bill bought a boat today. Just a little crappy john boat, but a boat none the less. He is excited about it. I think he and Grace will have lots of fun fishing Rend Lake with it. After he paints it. It's baby blue!

3. I went shopping with my sister today in Fairview Heights. I got some really great deals and had fun with her. I didn't spend as much as a boat cost though. Hmph.

4. Chace has been using the potty very well. He hasn't had any accidents as of late. Yay!! Such a big boy!

5. When you ask Chace if Mommy can have a baby he says NO! But, when you ask him if he wants a baby sister (we don't know this yet, but say sister) he says YES! Not sure he'll be so excited when she's here and gets lots of attention. But, that's ok...Aunt Lisa will just have to baby him and make him like me better than anyone else! Bwahahaha! Wait, he already does. I'm sure of it!

6. My dad is the happiest I think I have ever seen him and this just makes my heart smile! We all like Pam and for once I think our family is acting like a real family. I love it.

7. I got a "smart phone" recently. What in the world did people ever do before phones like this?! Settle down, I'm kidding. Though handy, I could live without it, but I LOVE it!!

8. Bill is working on building me a TV stand to match the bookcase he built last year. I'm so thankful to have such a handy husband! Even though handy husband is driving me crazy snoring on the couch right now!!

9. I am blaming me lack of blog updates on the fact that I do not own a laptop. I get tired of sitting in the kitchen at the desk. One of these days I will own one and you will be bombarded with posts all the time! Ok, maybe not all the time, but a little more frequent. You're welcome.

10. I'm going for a hysterosalpingogram on Wednesday. Sound fun, right? It's not. I will post an IVF/fertility update later. It will more that likely be pretty lengthy, as I have a few gripes. Imagine that.

I hope you've had a great weekend and enjoy the week ahead! Just for you, a picture to enjoy. Grace came into our room at 1:30 Christmas Eve morning because Santa had came early and wanted us to get up. Um, hello? My dad never got up that early, he just hollered at us to go back to bed. So, guess what we did?! Here she is at 7:30 that morning....