Last night, we dropped the kids off at grandpa’s house and went to Lucille’s Smokehouse for dinner.  All I have to say is YUM!  Andrew had his favorite… ribs!  I had my tri-tip and was in heaven.  Then we walked over to the theater and saw Tropic Thunder.  A little over the top, but very funny. 

And I have one question… what idiot parents thought it was a great idea to bring their 4 & 5 year old to see this movie?  Oh, that’s right, the people sitting next to us.  It’s totally rated R, with so much foul language and blood & guts.  I just don’t get some people.

It’s our 5 year anniversary today!  Not bad for meeting on Yahoo Personals!  We’re actually going out to dinner and a movie tonight… woooo!  I don’t think we’ve gone out just the two of us since before the baby was born.  Oh happy day!

Three things happened centered around Gramma coming back yesterday:

1. We made Gramma a cake.  I let it sit on a rack to cool and when I wasn’t looking, Miss Katie helped herself to some.  Little stinker.
2. As we arrived at LAX I witnessed my first paparazzi frenzy.  There was a guy and a girl with a baby trying to get into a taxi and there were hoards of photogs everywhere.  I couldn’t tell who it was and wasn’t about to make my husband stop the car to satisfy my curiosity.  However, once he dropped Katie and I off to run in, we saw yet another mob.  This time it was a young guy trying to get through the crowd and I could see my mom on the other side of the mob.  We just waited for them to pass us, then Katie ran over to see Gramma.  I think I was the only one pointing my camera at someone other than the celebrity.  I went on TMZ this morning to see who it was and it was none other than Zac Efron.  Here is the video… (mom is in the blue shirt at 0:16) 
3. Since Mom is in town, we asked her if she could watch the kids last night so we could see a movie.  We put baby down, and Katie and Gramma were going to sleep.  We finally left at about 9:45 and how sad are we… we turned the car around after about 1 mile… we were just too tired to sit through a movie.  We had already eaten a late dinner AND cake, so we couldn’t even go out for dessert.  Plus, we don’t drink, so there really wasn’t anything to do.  Pathetic? I think so.

One year ago today, my husband had a large cancerous tumor along with his left kidney removed.  I am happy to say that we have made it through the year cancer-free!  He goes in every few months for a CAT scan and a visit with the oncologist.  We were so blessed that the surgery was the only treatment he needed. 

I pray that we stay healthy and have many years together.

There was a time when I subscribed to several magazines… Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Rubber Stamping Magazine, etc.  Now I’m to the point where if I’m going to read something, I want to get a little more out of it.  So, I subscribed myself to a magazine called Marriage Partnership.  My first one came in today’s mail and I am so excited to sit down and read it!  I also subscribed to Today’s Christian Woman.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still pick up the occasional decorating or gossip rag when I’m in the mood, but for now, my new subscriptions will serve a better purpose… enriching ME!

Grant will be 2 months tomorrow!  I’ll be dropping the girl off at grandpa’s house and taking the boy to his doctor appointment.  He is such a sweetheart… smiling all of the time!  He has discovered his hands and is either waving them around or clasping them on his chest.  Also, he can see me at farther distances, and I can see his eyes watching me as I walk through the house.

Katie is ALWAYS talking, singing, dancing or a combination of the three.  She loves to take a bath and will make sure she is nice and sticky at dinnertime to ensure that she gets that bath!  She’s still mimicking me…and everyone else.  I heard her calling the baby ‘Little Few-wa’ the other day.  Also, she demands to wear dresses every day.  It’s been raining here, so on the days we don’t go out I let her wear them.Andrew’s job is going well.  Our new and improved insurance just kicked in and we are paying only $80 instead of the $1200 we were paying on COBRA.  Hallelujah!  He is such a great father… on his way home the other day, he stopped by a Salvation Army and picked up some dresses for Katie.  Can you say Daddy’s Girl?

My shoulder is feeling better.  I’ve been taking 800mg of Motrin 3x a day and trying to exercise it a bit.  I still don’t have the range of motion I once had, but at least I can lift the baby again.

I’m going to be looking into churches in the area.  I really would like to be involved in one, and want Katie in Sunday School now that she is starting to grasp things better.  If she can learn about Santa, then she can certainly learn about God.  I think it will bring us closer as a family and create an even stronger base for our marriage.

I’ve been married five years, and a mom for almost three of those years.  Before I was a mom, I worked full time, and since becoming one, I’ve worked part time.  I stopped working October of last year, and with the move and the new baby, we’ve had a LOT of changes going on.  It’s always been important to me to be able to stay home with my kids, and our finances changed drastically when I went from FT to PT and now to NO TIME.

I am officially a Full Time Homemaker/Mother/Wife.  And juggling these new roles is not easy!  I can be a slacker and spend lots of time on the internet, talking on the phone and/or reading books, but quite frankly, that is not what I signed up for.  Staying at home is no easy task, and making the transition is going to take some time and effort. 

I’m going to attempt to use the Flylady as a guideline for keeping house.  I’m re-reading my New Bride Guide book given to me by a friend before I got married.  And I just ordered a few books from Amazon to help me with my budgeting, living on one income and spirituality.

At some point this year, I will pick up some side work to bring in some extra money.  In the meantime, I’m going to focus on my new Full Time job and give it all I’ve got.

Stolen from Life in One Day

• How did you meet your husband? Yahoo Personals!  I put an ad up just for fun because I liked to read about other people.  I actually came across his ad months earlier and commented to my cousin that he sounded like a really nice guy.  Then about 3 months later I got an email from him and told my cousin ‘hey, remember that guy?’…
• What first attracted you to him? Ooh, his deep voice over the phone was nice!
• How did you know he was the one? I don’t know HOW I knew, I just knew… and about a week after meeting him!
• How long have you been married? It will be 5 years in September!
• What’s something you learned about him after you were married that surprised you? I’m always learning new things about him!
• What do you argue about the most? What’s for dinner. LOL… probably what most people do… money and house stuff.
• What quality in him do you admire most? His creativity
• What is the hardest part about being married?  Well I was a single gal until almost 30, so some of the independence I had before is gone.  That was hard to get used to, but I’d say that I would trade my single independent days for my happy married life now!
• What’s the best part about being married? Companionship and knowing that you’ve made a commitment to this person.
• What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to other wives about creating a happy marriage?  Listen to eachother and try not to get defensive!