Walking Machine

Colton started walking today!!!!!  He was standing by the couch and I was sitting about 2-3 feet away and called him several times and he took several steps in a row!   Then to make sure it wasn't a fluke we tried it about a dozen more times...and he walked to me again and again!  Its sooooo exciting!  Yes, a few more bumps and bruises are in our future, but at least he will walk slower than he can crawl...hehehehe.

Colton 11 Months

I realize it has been FOREVER since I've posted any pictures. I just hadn't gotten around to uploading them, so I didn't have any new ones to post. So I figured since today Colton turned 11 months old, I thought it was time. As you can see from the pictures, he's standing now. I could very possibly start walking on his own if he tried. He also has four teeth and LOVES pasta with tomato sauce. He also has disliked bananas and avocado because he doesn't like to pick them up. He will eat bananas if they are freeze-dried though. He still takes 2 naps a day as my nap consolidation didn't go over very well....for all involved. Tonight he thought it was absolutely hilarious to put a plastic spoon in my mouth and wait for me to yelp.

Caitlin still loves him and gets REALLY excited and FULL of energy everytime he wakes up from a nap. She's going to be a flower girl in a wedding on Monday, so we are trying desperately to avoid anymore scrapes and bruises. But the way that girl loves to play....and play hard, I'm not sure how successful we are going to be. So, I will be putting her in tights just in case. She has also been doing fabulous on the potty training front and it has been quite awhile since she's had an accident. Her last gymnastics class is this Thursday and I am determined to remember the camera this time. This class is way more up her alley than the soccer one. I think it's because she can be more physical and crawl over and under everything!






An avocado is best when eaten from the source, according to Caitlin.

Look! Two kids in a box!



We couldn't keep him awake any longer. His sister was the perfect pillow.

Colton's super cute new jammies! I just LOVE the way he crosses his little feet! And he does that all the time too!

What A Night!

Wow, we haven't had a night like that in a while.

It all started with me feeling very achy all day and then getting a fever around 7pm. The kids all went to sleep at their normal time and routine. Then Colton woke up at 11:30.....and then again at 12....and he wouldn't stop crying. Within an hour and a half Dennis and I took turns trying to calm him down, gave him a bottle, teething tablets, gas drops, and tylenol. Nothing seemed to be working and then around 2 the crying seemed to stop....then the phone rang. I came out to see who it was and found Colton playing around in cooler jammies and Caitlin watching TV. Turns out, Dennis had to go into work and didn't get home until closer to 5am! Meanwhile, I was finally able to get Colton down at 2:30 and Caitlin down at 3. Around 4ish Caitlin came into our bed and then Colton woke up and I brought him in as well. So when Dennis got home, he found all of us in bed and had to push over Caitlin to make enough room for him.

And now, at 9:07am, I still don't feel well and Dennis is catching up on the lack of sleep last night....and I'm sure he doesn't feel that well either. Caitlin has gymnastics at 10 and I'm not sure if we're going to make it.

Quite a sleepless night to say the least.

Great Weekend

We had such a great weekend! Our yard sale was successful and we are going to have another one in a few weeks with our neighbor...well, not with, but alongside (you get it). But the best part was that my sister came over with her kids to help! And I just can't believe I did not take a single picture the whole time!

The kids stayed inside most of the time during the sale. Caitlin made several appearances to "help," which really meant singing and playing the drums on rock band. She was pretty sad when we sold it and didn't quite get why the people were taking it away. Most of the people who came were really nice but you always get the occasional odd-ball. We did feel really bad for a mom who came with four kids. The oldest was about 6 and the youngest was a month old and only in a diaper. It looked like they all hadn't had a bath in a while and the kids were in PJ's that were too small with the feet cut out. We helped her find the sizes she needed and pack it to the car. Then I looked through my free box of baby clothes for all the boy stuff I could find to give her. I was glad I had a lot of stuff that would work for her.

During the afternoon, Colton stood up in the middle of the living room all by himself....without holding onto anything!!!! Too bad I wasn't there to see it! Since then, he's been letting go of everything so he can stand by himself. We may just have another walker on our hands in a few weeks.

Saturday night, my sister took us (except for Caitlin, Colton, and Dennis) out to teppanyaki. I had never been to that restaurant here, but Dennis said it was pretty good....and he was so right! We had a great time and there were so many leftovers! I just finished the last of it for lunch today and I'm wondering when I can get more!

Sunday was bagels for breakfast and then my sister and her clan left for home. Dennis did a ton of laundry while I went to the mall to do errands with Colton. I think this week is going to be back to normal since we are all healthy again. Oh, and I did not make the cupcake explorer list. There were over 700 entries and she only chose 50. Once the recipe is published, I'm definitely going to have to give it a whirl!

I hope everyone has a great week. I'm off to give Colton a bottle and put him down for a nap!

Explorer Project

Well, since I love cupcakes and I really LOVE the blog cupcakeproject.com, I signed up to be a possible tester for the ultimate vanilla cupcake. If I'm selected, I have to bake the cupcakes between certain dates and then provide feedback. This would be a perfect project.....and ultra secretive, until we get the go ahead to share. But, I'm getting ahead of myself again. I just sent in my request and I will let y'all know if I'm selected.

Oh, and on the job front, I think I've now applied for a total of 15 jobs....3 of which are non-teaching jobs. It will be several weeks before I hear anything from anyone though.

Plus, I still have this dang cold. I thought I was feeling better this morning, however, I was sadly mistaken several hours later. I must be better by this weekend....we are having a yard sale! We've been wanting to have it for seven years now! Anyone in the area is welcome to stop by and load up your trunk or a whole trailer if you'd like!

Defeated

Defeated....that is the word that I've found that best describes how I feel. I really thought I'd be feeling better by now, but it turns out I'm not. So, I'm trudging on hoping that everyday will be a little bit better.

Meanwhile, I am applying for two more jobs. This will bring the count up to 10 positions that I've applied for. Both positions are a 3rd/4th combo. One is at a brand new charter school in Fortuna. I don't have high hopes that I'll get an interview at either school, but I thought applying would be good therapy anyway.