A much needed break

Yesterday turned out to be a VERY long day! Vance woke up screaming at about 5:40 and didn't stop until 6:40. That is the first time he had ever done anything like that. Needless to say, the day didn't get off to a very good start. Work was unusually busy, but luckily Vance was good at work. I didn't get off until 5:00 and couldn't prolong grocery shopping any more. As every mom knows, grocery shopping with kids is not the most relaxing thing to do so I tried my best to be fast. Once I got home I had tons to do around the house and the homework kept piling up.


Vance was being fusy, but I decided he would have to figure it out while I went upstairs to put away laundry and unpack the bags from this past weekend. I turned on the TV and sat him there with his blanket and a few toys. He fussed for awhile, but eventually I realized it was quiet.


I kept working upstairs hoping that everything was okay downstairs with Vance. I finally wandered downstairs to return to my motherly duties and found Vance like this:




I guess he knew I needed some quiet time! Thank you son for adding in an extra nap yesterday (I guess that's what screaming for an hour in the morning will do to a kid!)!

Happy Anniversary ~ 3 years

Today is me and Chad's 3rd anniversary. Time goes by so fast!! We celebrated this past weekend by going to St George. My mom, dad, Jennie, Rob, Kelsie, Briton, and Vance went too. We brought my niece, Briton, with us to babysit Vance. I now realize how great it would be to have a nanny. She was so helpful, especially with of all the little things like carrying the diaper bag, buckling him in the carseat, getting the rice cereal ready, and MUCH more.

We got to St George Saturday afternoon. We checked into our hotel room and then left Briton and Vance at the hotel while we went to dinner at Outback! Chad loves the Aussie fries and I had a great steak. After dinner we picked up some dinner for Briton and took it to the hotel. After that we went to Les Miserables at Tuacahn. We had front row seats that were right in the middle - the view was great. The performance was fantastic!!! After the play we headed back to the hotel where my mom and dad were gracious enough to let Vance and Briton sleep with them so Chad and I could have a room to ourselves - thank you again!

We got up that morning and went to Starbucks for breakfast and then went shopping. I am officially done with all of the Christmas shopping for mine and Chad's family!!! All I have left is Chad and Vance! Before we headed home we went to lunch at Applebee's. It was a funfilled weekend that was much needed.

I also wanted to take a second to say how much I love being married. Chad is an amazing husband. He is so patient and loving. He is a great father, and I love watching him interact with Vance. I feel like Chad and I are a perfect fit for each other. Our personalities complement one another's and help us live a balanced life (at least that is what we strive for). The best part about being married is the constant companion. You have a built in best friend! Everyone warned that the second year was hard because the honeymoon period wore off - but Chad and I had a blast. I am looking forward to MANY more years together. I love you Chad!!!

7 month pictures

We took Vance to Picture People for his 7 month pictures! They turned out pretty cute!

Little Pastry Chefs

This weekend Chad and I took two of our nieces, Briton and Aspen, to Little Pastry Chefs. Chad and I have been trying to do more together besides just sit at home. We saw a coupon in the Entertainment Book for this place and decided to try it out. The coupon was buy one cake - get one free. Briton and I decorated one cake and Chad and Aspen did the other one. It was really fun! You get a 8" round cake with lots of frosting and food coloring along with an icing bag (not sure what those are really called). We had fun competing to make the best cake. Below you can see pictures of the cakes! Chad and Aspen made a pirate ship called "The Aspen." Briton and I started out doing grass and the sun. We were going to draw a butterfly, but our icing turned out brown. Instead we drew Aspen and Chad pooping. I know it's disgusting but we had a good time!

After we were done decorating we bought ourselves a little treat - it's a bakery too!

Biking Success

Chad and I went on our first long bike ride. We went for 16 miles!!! I was so proud of us. It was really windy so when we were going up the hills it seemed like we weren't going anywhere. Chad hooked up the bike trailer for Vance on his bike. Vance loved it. He just looked around for the first 15 minutes and then he fell asleep for like an hour. The last 15 minutes he just talked to himself. I did forget to put sunscreen on, so my back is burnt. But that was the only mishap - no crashes this time ;)

We are getting ready for Viva Bike Vegas on October 25th. We decided to enter the 25 mile bike ride together - good luck us!

Tagged - 8 things!

I got tagged by Rushelle so here it goes -

8 TV shows I love to watch:

• Friends
• Grey's Anatomy
• House
• Top Model
• Hole in the Wall
• Private Practice
• Saturday Night Live
• So You Think You Can Dance

8 Favorite restaurants:

• Carrabba's
• Sumo Sushi
• BJ's
• Panera Bread
• Viva Mercados
• PF Changs
• Cheesecake Factory
• Nora's

8 Things that happened yesterday:

• Vance decided he would drink formula
• Took a much needed nap
• Got my hair colored and cut
• Organized the Christmas presents I've bought
• Went on a bike ride
• Finally put away my laundry
• Went to church with my hubby
• Homework :(

8 Things I am looking forward to:

• Trip to St George this weekend to celebrate 3 years of marriage
• Girls weekend in Colorado
• Vance's 1st Halloween
• Cruise with the family in November
• Holding my new baby nephew
• Viva Bike Vegas in October
• Celebrating the Christmas season
• Greys Anatomy to start

8 Things on my wish list:

• More time with Chad
• Be able to bike the Redrock loop
• Vance to be better at church
• Week vacation with just me and Chad
• Moving out of Las Vegas
• New shoes (as always)
• Vance to start crawling
• A slimmer me

8 People I'm tagging:

• Rachel Simpson
• Emily Wilcock
• Rachel Peshlakai
• Marci Morgan
• Julie Olsen
• Danielle Hinckley
• Tara Almanza
• Chelsea Allred

Cookie Monster

After Kidz Rule (see below), we all went to my mom's house for lunch to let the kiddos play longer. We gave the older kids cookies and about 2 minutes later Brayden yelled, "Hey - Vance stole my cookie!" I walked over to find this:
Sorry Brayden, I guess we owe you a cookie!

Fun-Filled Friday

I love Fridays because it is a day off! It is also the day all of my sisters and mom have off so we usually get together. This Friday Amy and her two younger kids came over to play for a little bit, and then I decided I wanted to take them to Kidz Rule (an idea I got from Ashley Bailey's blog). All of my sisters and mom decided to join us and we had so much fun for not too much $$$!

Welcome Baby Boy Waldron

Today at 9:37 am my sister-in-law, Trisha (Josh's wife), had a brand new baby boy! He was 9lb 5oz and 21 inches - a big baby! He is yet to be named so stay tuned. Everything went well and both mom and baby are healthy. He is the cutest little baby (except for Vance of course ;) Chad and I were able to go down to the hospital while my sisters helped watch Vance (thanks again!). For those of you who don't know - I LOVE infants. I can hold little babies forever and it never gets old. Vance doesn't always love to be held so it was so fun to hold a little one again. Thanks Josh and Trisha for letting me hang out so long at the hospital and hold my new little nephew.

Vance's 1st Dune Buggy Ride

Yesterday I was at my mom's house while my dad was working on the dune buggy. Chad and my dad decided that it was about time Vance had his first ride. Before they left, my mom told my dad over and over again not to go too fast! Well dads will be dads....he went fast ;) Chad said that Vance loved it but made funny faces because the wind was blowing in his face. Chad has always said that with a name like Vance he has to be into extreme sports (I'm not sure his thinking but it's what he says). Well, I guess his life of extreme sports has begun!

Workout Schedule

I had really good intentions to start working out right after I had Vance. Obviously good intentions don't get you any where because 7 months later, I still have plenty of weight to lose. I finally decided to get after it and created a workout schedule.

Monday @ 8:00 pm- swimming at Desert Breeze Community Center
Wednesday @ 8:30 pm- running at Sierra Vista High School
Thursday @ 8:00pm- swimming at Desert Breeze Community Center
Friday & Saturday - bike as often as I can

I am proud to say that it is going very well. This is only the middle of the 2nd week, but I am optimistic that I will stick to it. There is a small group of people who I workout with. It makes it so much easier to go when I know someone is expecting me to be there. Currently I work out with Chad, Jennie & Rob Ogden, Amy Mathewson, Rushelle Kiesel, and Aaron Allred.

Anyone who wants to join us is MORE than welcome...the more the better! The day, time and place is above so stop making excuses and come workout!

Now, I just need to start the diet...

Please vote ~ Halloween costume

I bought Vance's first Halloween costume this weekend. The problem is that I found two costumes that I really like and don't know which one to keep and which one to return. The first one is a scarecrow. If he dresses up as a scarecrow, then Chad and I would be the Wicked Witch and the Tin Man. The second costume is a turkey. If he dresses up as a turkey, then Chad and I would go as a pilgrim and Indian. Please vote which costume you think Vance should wear!

Thank you for your input!

***It seems like the scarecrow is the definite winner, but feel free to leave your opinion still!

Vance at Work

For those of you who don't know, I work at Silver State Appraisals. I have worked there for a little over 3 years and absolutely love it! The best perk is that I get to bring Vance with me. I work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Since he has started sitting up he has been so much happier at work. Right before I took this video he had been talking and laughing at himself. Of course when I got out the camera, he started doing a laugh/cry thing. He couldn't quite decide if he was happy or not, but I thought it was funny! Below I have a picture of my set-up at work (I work out of my boss's home). I couldn't ask for a better boss or work place!

It's Vance's break time!

Diaper Cake

I am helping throw my friend, Amber Anderson, a baby shower in October. I decided it was time to get started. My sister, Amy, found a really cute diaper cake on the Cricut message board and we re-created it yesterday. Isn't it cute?!

Biter Biscuit

The other day I was feeding Vance rice cereal in his high chair and I spilled a little. He tried grabbing for it and putting in his mouth, so I decided he might be ready to try and feed himself a little. I gave him the Gerber biscuits and the little wheel things (I'm not sure what they are really called). He absolutely loved them. He sat in his high chair for almost 30 minutes eating them. The best part is that I was able to get some homework done for school! Thank you Gerber for my 30 productive minutes. It was worth the huge mess it made!

I also wanted to include this picture of him. Lately it seems like he has been growing so fast. I thought he looked like a future business man in his office chair. Watch out world, here comes Vance!

Nieces and Nephews

Chad and I wanted to give all of our nieces and nephews a little back to school present. We decided that candy was the best choice. We got brown paper bags and stuffed them full with Snickers, Milky Way, Airheads, Skittles, Starbursts, Gatorade, etc. I am sure that all of my sisters were really happy with us. We wanted to do a little something else so we bought each of them a folder to put there school papers in. I put a piece of paper on the front that said, "Aunt Alli and Uncle Chad are the Best!" We'll do whatever it takes to be the favorite aunt and uncle...even if it means telling them that we are the best ;) We made them take a picture with their folders!

Our new biking gear!

Chad and I just purchased ourselves the 2009 Trek 1.2!!! We are so excited to start biking together and hope it becomes a hobby we can enjoy for a long time. It was really overwhelming to go to the bike store and have no idea what we needed. Below is a picture of my bike. Chad's bike is basically the same but for men. We also got water bottles, helmets, flat tire packs, butt-cushioned pants, and perhaps the most fashionable part...the shoes!We took the bikes out for the first time on Monday night, and we did pretty good. I was nervous about falling because the shoes actually clip into the pedals. I managed to stay on the bike the whole time! We rode for 5 miles last night. It was a long day and it was 10:00 pm before we had a chance to go for a ride but we figured something was better than nothing. If anyone is ever interested in riding together let me know!

Labor Day Stay-cation!

Normally we always go out of town on Labor Day, but every one seems a little tight on money this year so we decided to have a stay-cation intead of a vacation. We had a fun-packed weekend. We started out Friday night by going out to dinner at BJs with all of the adults in my family and NO kids. Needless to say, dinner without any kids was fabulous!!! Next we went to Sports Chalet because they were having a huge sale and Chad and I needed a few things. After that we picked up all of the kids and went bowling at Red Rock.

Saturday morning Chad participated in his first ever sprint triathlon out at Lake Las Vegas. He did it with one of his friends, Aaron Allred. Aaron's wife, Chelsea, picked me and Vance up early in the morning and headed out to go cheer on our husbands. My mom and dad met us out there too.
Neither Aaron or Chad had trained but two days for this triathlon, and Chad was doing the bike on a mountain bike instead of a road bike because I was the mean wife who wouldn't let him invest in a bike until he had done at least one triathlon.
Chad finished the swim in good time, but the bike didn't go over so well with the mountain bike. When we saw him during the first lap I didn't think he was going to make it. He was tough though and finished the bike. He then had a strong finish with the run. His total time was 1:37 which is really good considering he didn't really train and it was his first time. I was so proud of him. He has inspired me, Jennie, and Rob to participate in the next triathlon in October.

After the triathlon we headed out for a day at the lake. The weather wasn't great but we still had a good time swimming and hanging out on the beach. Chad did get one wakeboard ride in (I am not sure how because his body was so tired from the triathlon)! After the lake we just came home and went to bed. We were all tired from a long day.
Sunday we all went to church and then went over to my mom and dad's house for a BBQ and games. We played Jungle Speed and Imaginiff. Then Chad and I decided to have all of the kids spend the night so we headed home for some fun at our house. The boys played Wii Olympics and Kelsie played with Vance. You can see below how clean the kids were able to keep the house! That's okay we figure the dirtier it is when they left - the more fun they must have had.

We woke up Monday morning and played with the kids for awhile before going to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. As always, breakfast was delicious. Then we went to Jennie's for a little swimming and relaxing. The entire family is so glad that Jennie has a pool. Next on the agenda was a little homework and housekeeping for Chad and I. We got that done just in time for Karissa and Calvin Bagley to come over. We enjoyed some Asian food for dinner and then played Rock Band together. Vance was a lot of help playing the drums!
All in all we had a fun but EXHAUSTING weekend. We need another day off just to catch our breath!