Concrete

Okay, so I'm finally getting around to posting these. We poured cement at the beginning of November. We have a spot next to our driveway that needs some help. When we moved in there were some rocks there, but in the past few years a swamp has emerged. We decided that a concrete pad would look really nice there and serve as an extra parking spot. Concrete is SUPER expensive so we are doing it a little bit at a time. Here is the first pad that we have poured. The cement guy was really nice and delivered it to our house for a little extra $. He even helped shovel and rake it. We plan to go as far back as the end of our house. That way there will be a small section behind the fence where our kids can ride their bikes (we live on a really busy road).

Disneyland

Two weeks ago we went to Disneyland! Trevor's family planned a vacation and we decided to go. Only part of the family was able to go so it ended up being us, Trevor's parents, his twin brother, Trenton and his wife, Randi, and his younger brother, Dallas. We drove up on Sunday night so that we could go to the Tonight Show on Monday. I requested tickets weeks ago so that we would be able to see it. We love Conan. So on Monday we hung out in Hollywood all day, just exploring and seeing the sights. Then we went to Universal Studios (the lot, not the park) where they tape the show. We hung around for the afternoon, just walking around the shops and restaurants, waiting for the show. We were told to be there at 3:30 p.m. and taping started at 5 p.m. So we started heading over to the studio around 3. We missed the tram and waited for the next one, then walked a few blocks to the audience line. We got there at 3:32 and were told our spots had been given away!!! Our tickets were no longer valid! We were crushed. We had come to California a day early just to see Conan and now we might miss it. We waited in the standby line until finally we were given real tickets. We had bad seats, but we were just glad to get in. It was so much fun. It was really neat to see the set in person and to see what goes on before the show and during the commercial breaks. We had a great time.
On Tuesday we prepared for our first day in Disneyland. Trevor's family loves Disneyland. I went once when I was 7. Since we've been married, Trevor and I have gone 4 times. This was the first time that we have taken Emily. We swore that we would never take little kids...but we decided to try it out. Emily was great! She was so good. The hardest part for her was taking her naps in the park. She is such a good sleeper when we put her in her bed. But if she is not in her bed, she doesn't know what to do. She knows that bed=sleep. No bed=awake? It was a little confusing for her, but she would take cat naps here and there. Trevor's family was so good to help out with her. There were a lot of rides that she could go on and only a few that she couldn't. It was also the perfect time of year to go. The lines were so short and sometimes nonexistent-except for Veteran's Day, bad idea! But Tuesday and Thursday were perfect. We had so much fun. Randi was so awesome and took our pictures the whole time so we can remember the trip forever! Emily's favorite part was meeting the characters. We have never done that before but since we had Emily we thought it would make some cute pictures. She was so fascinated with them, especially their noses. I think the characters really liked her too. They would play with her before we took the picture. It was so cute. We spent 3 days in the park and had so much fun. I don't think we'll go back for a while. Having a baby adds a whole new dynamic to the mix. I was worried that it would be too hard, but I think she was the perfect age to take her. Maybe in a few years we'll go back. So fun!

October

Our lives are so crazy right now....I finally got my camera back but have not had time to take many pictures. Luckily, I have my wonderful sister-in-law Randi, who always has her camera and does a much better job than me. I'll try to do a good job of recapping this past month, but I'm sure I'll miss something. My brain starts to hurt if I think too much.Randi babysat one afternoon for us so I could sub and got this cute little picture of Emily. I didn't even know she could do this until I saw this picture...I guess I probably hold her too much.
These are some other cute pictures that Randi took when I wasn't around. I think it really captures Emily's personality.

Emily is doing better with eating solid foods now. She prefers oatmeal over rice and likes it when it is mixed with milk. She has started eating carrots now and doesn't hate them as much as she did a week ago, though I think I probably hate them more-they stain everything! As you can see it is a team effort to feed her. She likes to put her fingers in her mouth while she is eating.

We had a busy month of birthdays. Trevor (and Trenton) and I celebrated ours at the end of September/beginning of October. We had a great party for Trevor and Trenton. I'm so glad that Trenton has Randi now so that I don't have to plan the party by myself anymore (and for other reasons as well!)

Trevor's younger brother, Dallas holding Emily.

Blowing out candles (they each got their own cake).

My nieces and nephew fighting over the drums on Rock Band.

Rock Band has become our new obsession. Dallas bought Beatles Rock Band when it came out and we have been hooked ever since. It can be seen at nearly every family gathering. Above is Trevor and Trenton playing.

Me, Courtney and Randi playing on Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, we had a great time. I ended up subbing that day. Emily was a cute little skeleton. It was a lot easier subbing in a class on Halloween than being the teacher because everything was already taken care of. I didn't have to do a thing. I just had fun! On Halloween Day, Emily and I spent the day at Kathryn's house with my family. We had lunch, I made my costume, and we carved pumpkins. Later that night we went to Randi's parents' house for their awesome Annual Halloween Bash.

A cute little pea in a pod!Emily rocking out on Rock Band.

Trevor (a pirate), Emily (pea pod), Kristi (ladybug).

Well that is October in a nutshell. The weather has been great (except for a cold spell last week) and we are having fun times as a family. Trevor is still on graveyards for a few more months...not fun, but he's surviving. November will be just as busy. We have a trip to Disneyland planned and the holidays fast approaching. I don't think things will calm down until January. It sure keeps things exciting!

Growing Fast

Emily is getting so big. We are continuing to have so much fun with her. This last week I got sick and so she's had a runny nose the last few days. Poor baby. I feel so bad for her. She's been so grumpy, which is not like her at all. I haven't posted pictures in a while...my stupid camera is still not back from being fixed...and they didn't even fix it. It's been gone for 2 months and it will still be broken when it gets back. Grrr...
If she is awake when I take a shower I put her in her swing. This is what she looked like the other day when I got out. So serious looking.
My mom got her a high chair and we've been using it when she eats her cereal. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!Here she is getting ready for bed.

Milestones

This morning Emily woke up an hour early. She does this very rarely. Usually if I let her cry for a few minutes she will go back to sleep. One time I went in there because she wouldn't stop crying and she had her blanket on her head and couldn't get it off. Once I took it off she went back to sleep. Well, this morning her cries kept getting more and more upset. So after a few minutes I went in to check on her. She had rolled over for the first time! The little girl hates being on her belly. Every time I put her down for tummy time she starts crying after about 10 seconds. She cries and cries until she finds her fingers to suck on, then she puts her head down and starts to fall asleep. So we don't do a whole lot of tummy time. When she's in her crib she usually does this move that Trevor calls the helicopter where she turns in all kinds of circles like the blades of a helicopter. This morning she had managed to roll over in her crib and when she got that way she didn't like it. So I rolled her back over and she went back to sleep. Crazy girl.
We had another first yesterday...we started solids. Emily had rice cereal for the first time. I don't know if it exactly qualifies as a solid, it was pretty runny. But she had some milk with rice mixed in with it. The first time I gave it to her she hated it. I think she almost started to cry. It was too cold. So I heated it up and tried some more. It was funny to watch her. She would suck up what was on the spoon like a vacuum, then a second later I would see it dribble out onto her chin. I'm not sure if she actually swallowed any of it. I'm excited to get to some tastier foods!

Back in the Classroom

I'm teaching again...well, sort of. I am substituting. When I was teaching and I found out what subs make, I swore I would never do it. It wasn't worth it. I could make more money being a checker at the grocery store. Well, a few weeks ago, I found out that you can earn points through subbing.

Let me explain. In order to keep my teaching license, I have to earn points. This is super easy to do when you are a teacher. You get points every week for attending mandatory meetings and for going to workshops and classes that are provided to you free of charge. It's part of your job to earn points! As an unemployed educator, it is a little more difficult. You have to pay to take classes-college classes! I thought I was done with school. Plus, if you are not teaching, you are required to earn more points than those who are working!! So when I heard that I can earn some (not all) of my points through subbing, I thought, "Hey, I should look into that." I would much rather have them pay me to earn my points than me having to pay them to earn points. Through my inquiry, I found that subs get paid a little bit more than I thought and if you are certified (have a teaching license) you get paid even a little bit more. So in actuality, through subbing I will get paid the same amount that I would make being a checker at the grocery store. Some other pros include: shorter days, more enjoyable atmosphere, flexible schedule (I get to choose when I work!), and I love it!

I only want to work like 2-4 times/month so this is perfect. I went to my old school on Thursday and told them that I am now a substitute and that they should call me. I was back on Friday subbing for a 2nd grade class. This was perfect because I taught those kids last year. There were only 3 kids that I didn't know. 3 of the kids were in my class last year. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed myself. Trevor stayed home with Emily. I was gone for 4 1/2 hours. The best part is that I just get to show up at the beginning of the day and then go home when the day is over. In the past, I would stay for 2-4 hours after school on a Friday, planning for the next week. Yesterday I was out of there in 10 minutes! I don't have to grade papers, do report cards, have parent-teacher conferences, etc. I get to skip out on all the things I dreaded as a teacher. It will be nice to have a little extra cash for birthdays, Disneyland, and Christmas that is coming up in the next few months. I'm sure I will have bad days and classes that I can't stand. But then I never have to teach that class again!

In other news, Trevor has to go back on graveyards at the store. He was on graveyards last year from August-February. We're not excited about this. When he's on graveyards, he can't go to church or do anything else during the day. It messes up his whole schedule. Plus, it's going to be difficult for me (being home during the day) to not want to wake him up. Last year, I would be at work when he was sleeping and I would wake him up when I got home. Boo! I'm not happy.

4 months

Emily is getting so big. She is not a little baby anymore. She is 4 months old. She got her shots on Tuesday...not fun. She was not happy all day and got a fever that night, but she is much better now. After her doctor appointment on Tuesday, we went to the company party for Trevor's work. We had a good time. I won a prize playing BINGO. Emily got a tattoo. I wanted her to get a skull and crossbones, but they didn't have one. Our friend, Colleen, picked out a butterfly one instead.Emily continues to be a great baby. She sleeps 10 hours at night! Thank you, Babywise! She gets to be more and more fun each day. She has started laughing, which is so adorable!

In this video, she has the hiccups!

The other night, I went in her room to check on her before I went to bed and she was laughing in her sleep!!! So precious! Much happier than the sad whimpering she used to do when she was first born. We're having so much fun with her!