2011 Airhart Camping Trip

Every year my family goes camping for a weekend. I really enjoy this time together and look forward to it every year. I took so many pictures that I can't fit them all into this post. I am only going to share some. I tried to put some into a collage so condense them a bit.

This is my adorable Niece. Leah Jo. 

Jake playing

Some pictures of the campsite. Our new camper worked like a charm.

All the cousins had a great time together. 

We enjoy our walks together as a family. 

Jake's Auntie Lori is the only one that can get him to look up for a picture. 

A walk on the beach

Tony playing in the sand

Jake had a blast playing in the sand. 

My Dad and Step Mom Martha

Oh Giz!

Tony loves to fish just like his Daddy.

I had to help Jake ease into the water

Not sure about the sand

These Cousins get along so good. They will grow up to be great buddies

Court helps out so much with the kids. She love them. 

Setting up our camper. I thought this was funny. All the men under the camper.

Our view

He was all smiles until I said say cheese. 

The boys playing

We tried to bury all three of them but Jake wasn't having it.

Gramps and Jake

Ducks

Our boat ride where I got sooooo BURNT

10 Post You Challenge- 8 Fears

I was going to try and post these every Tuesday but with my new job and trying to figure out my schedule I didn't have time to get to it yesterday so I am posting it today. I haven't even had a chance to comment  on all the blogs I read so for that I apologize. I might not be commenting much until I get my time management under control but I am still reading.. Don't give up on me.

8. Flocks of birds flying to close over my head

7. Swimming in lakes or the ocean in the dark

6. Spiders

5. Gaining the 30 pounds that I lost back

4. Global Warming

3. Not being able to learn my new job

2. Jake choking ( this one terrifies me. I cut up everything)

1. Failure in every aspect of my life

So there is my list. If you would like to take the 10 Day You Challenge or as I call it 10 Post Challenge, feel free to grab the button above and use it in your blog. 

Busy Busy Busy!

I just wanted to write a quick post letting everyone know that I might not be commenting or posting much this week because I started my new job today. I need to settle into a schedule and figure out how to manage my time. So if I don't comment this week I will catch up next week.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I will be posting soon about our amazing weekend up at Big Sandy Campground.

New Job

After spending 28 months as a stay at home Mom I am finally getting back into the working world. It's come down to the point where money has gotten so tight due to B being on leave from work because of his cancer. It was time for me to step up to the plate and get a job to help with over due bills and help get us back on track. B can't do it alone anymore. Especially with all that he is already dealing with. I knew that this day would come but I didn't know it would come so soon. Jake is a special needs child and I really wanted to be home with him until he started school but if we are so broke that we can't even pay our bills that isn't good for anyone.

I pray a lot of guidance, strength and for answers on what to do to get my family out from this black cloud that I sometimes feel we are under. A week or so ago I came across an ad for a Human Resources Director at a well known hardware store chain. I submitted my resume and got an interview right away and then a second interview followed by the job offer. I of course excepted and was filled with excitement but also I was scared at the same time. Not only am I leaving my baby during the day for the first time but I am also the HR Director for 500 employees. I went in today for a half day to meet some of the employees and to do a little training. I felt right at home and know that this is exactly where I need to be and want to be.

I called a lot of day cares and talked to a lot of people. Luckily there is a day care right across the street from my house and they happened to have 1 opening left. I met with Mindy and she is amazing. How great is it that he will be right across the street from our house!!

I feel like things are starting to look up for us. All of my prayers are being answered.

This weekend we are heading up to Mcgregor for our annual family camping trip with my Dad and the gang. We are excited to spend time with my family.

If you made it through this entire post thank you for listening to all my rambling.

Have a good weekend and if I don't comment on your blog for a few days I will when I get back and catch up.

Wordless Wednesday-Jake

For this weeks Wordless Wednesday(with words) I would like to share some photos of my little man. 

I love watching him play. 

Handsome boy who needs a hair cut.

When he wants us to pick him up he does this and says "HUG".

He knows we are watching him in this pictures because I said smile Jake.

He is a lovable boy!! 

10 Day You Challenge

I started this 10 Day You Challenge last week and I made a promise to myself to post these every Tuesday. Check out last weeks edition here.

9. TV. Anyone that knows me knows I love myself some TV. I am a tad addicted to reality TV. It's sorta a guilty pleasure for me. Even though I feel that the art of TV has been lost with all the reality shows I still love them. 

8. I love blogging. I've been doing it since 2008 but I really didn't become an active blogger until this year and I'm loving all the new people I've met and all the fun blog I read. My google reader is out of control but I am still adding new blogs everyday.

7. I love Sushi. Yummy! I love getting together with my girls and going for sushi. 

6. I love making jewelry. I recently started beading and would do it everyday if I could. I haven't been lately because of a lack of funds for supplies. Once we get back on our feet I am going to stock up. 

5. I love my friends. I have friends that have been with me since I was 12 and I hold them close to my heart. Sometimes life takes over and I don't get to see them as often as I would like but I know they are there anytime I need them. 

4. I love God! He's always there when you need him. He has helped me through some really tough times. 

3. I love my family. I love spending time with my family. My Dad, Mom, Sister and Brother are some of my favorite people and of course my nieces and nephews. I love time with my Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and Cousins. I have a very close family and I wouldn't change it for the world. I think it's amazing when you are close to even your 4th cousin. My family and extended family is so large and I love it!!

2. I love B! He is an amazing man and he has been through so much in the last 10 months. He loves me and our son and is probably the only person that can put up with me. 

1. And my love of all loves is of course JAKE!! He is my life. He is the reason I wake up in the morning. I didn't know love as I thought I did until he came into my life. I look at him and still can't believe he is mine. He makes me laugh and melts my heart especially when he looks at me and says HUG and motions for me to hug him. My life was a mess before him and B. I thank God everyday that he brought me my boys and saved me. 

So there is my list of loves. If you want to join in the 10 Day You Challenge feel free to grab the button above and join in. 

Individual French Toast Stratas

Yesterday I blogged about the Father's Day Breakfast that Jake and I made for B. Here is the recipe. These little tasty treats are great for the kiddos and really easy for them to help with.

Individual French Toast Stratas

What you will need:

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half

6 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

4 cups cubed white bread

2 tbsp. melted butter

2 tbsp. sugar

Here is what you do:

Whisk eggs, half and half, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Toss bread with butter; divide among 12 muffin cups. 

Don't forget the muffin cups. Cause I did. I greased the pan but wish I would have used the cups. They still turned out but would have been better in cups. 

Pour egg mixture over bread; let sit for a few minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle bread mixture with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack. 

I served these with maple syrup and fresh blueberries. 

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Everyday with Rachel Ray. I can't take credit for this one.

Happy Father's Day

This morning Jake and I made B a special Father's Day breakfast. Individual french toast strata with fresh blueberries. These were so yummy. I will post the recipe in a different post. 

 

We also made him a special Father's Day card.

We had a pretty laid back day. We were going to go for a photo walk but it was really cloudy out so we just hung out at home. B had the choice of any dinner he wanted and he picked double grilled cheese with chili. Not my idea of a good dinner but he loves it so that's what he got. I had cheerios. 

Doesn't look very appetizing but he loved it and that's all that matters.



Thank you for being an amazing Father. We love you very much.

Happy Saturday!

• I found some new blogs to read. I'm currently following almost 50 blogs in my google reader. I love reading new blogs and keeping up on my favs. It makes me happy. 
• I stepped on the scale yesterday and I lost 5 pounds. Not sure how since I've been slacking with working out lately. I probably just lost all my muscle which isn't a good thing but I am 4 pounds away from my goal and that makes me happy. 
• Money is getting really tight and I will probably have to go back to work which doesn't make me happy but I had a job interview the other day and they called me back to go in for a second interview which does make me happy.
• The other day I went to the bank and I passed by Target so I decided to stop in. I was in the meat department and saw  the chicken I buy was on sale so I decided to grab a couple pounds. The chicken also had a 3 dollar off in store coupon on it.  As I was in the checkout the cashier rang up the first one and it came up for .49 cents. Then the next one rang up free. I was like WHAT the heck. So I said hang on a second and I ran back and grabbed 4 more. They all rang up free because they were on sale and the in store coupon. As I was getting into my vehicle I was contemplating going back in and clearing the shelf but I didn't. When I got home I told B about the great deal I just got. B and I decided it would be smart to go back and get more. So B went back and cleared the shelf. The cashier called the manager and they said that there must be an error and there has to be a limit. B said "I don't care what you guys do after I leave but I am getting all these for the sale price". 

That's 40 pounds of skinless chicken breast for a total of about 3 dollars. NO LIE!! All together we saved 217.98. We do not have to buy chicken for a long long time and that makes me happy.

• Seedlings sent Jake 2 free braille books in the mail the other day. That makes Jake and I both happy.

There is my list of some of the things that made me happy this week. If you want to make your own Happy Saturday list feel free to grab my Happy Saturday button for your blog. 

All About Jake

Normally on Friday's I post Friday Night Leftovers but I was thinking today about how I haven't really posted a Jake update for a while. I want to have this blog for him to look back on when is older and see what he was like as a child. So I am going to try to post more updates about Jake. At least every few months.

Today Jake is exactly 28 months old. I attempted to weigh him tonight before bed. The scale said 35 pounds but he was jumping and playing around. I'm thinking he is about 33-34 pounds. He is getting tall and his feet are growing like weeds. He is in a size 6 shoe and 2T clothes. Jake is still napping everyday from about 1 to 3:30. Bed time is somewhere between 7:30 and 8 pm. Although he usually plays in his crib for about an hour before he falls asleep. He is waking up around 8-8:30 am depending on how his night went. Jake is still rocking a lot at night. If he has a bad night he will rock anywhere from 1-2 hours. On those nights he usually doesn't wake up until 9 am. Jake has speech and sensory therapy twice a week. He started Speech therapy almost a year ago and at that time he had little to no words. Now he is saying almost everything. We meet his new vision teacher next week and we can't wait.

Everyday is a battle with him to wear his glasses. For some reason Jake always holds his hand over his left eye and when he has his glasses on he can't do that so he pulls them off. I think it's going to be hard until we can communicate more with him and explain why they are so important to wear. Jake's eye disorder has been stable since his surgery. We still have exams under anesthesia frequently to monitor his eyes but we've been blessed with all good reports so far.

Favorite foods
Pizza
Grapes
Strawberries
French Fries
Bananas
Yogurt
Oatmeal

Favorite Toys
Match Box cars
Balls
Trucks
His slide
Books

Words
Gizzy
Daddy
Let's go
What's that?
Outside
Mama
Thirsty
French Fry
Many more

Jake loves to be outside. In fact if I let him he would stay outside all day and night. He loves going down his new slide. He loves wagon rides with Gizzy. Jake LOVES bath time and brushing his teeth.

Jake is growing up so fast and doing so many things now. Where did my little baby go. I think it might be time to get him a big boy hair cut but I am having a hard time with that. He is still in a crib and I think I am going to keep him in there for his safety for a while.

I cherish the moments I get to spend with Jake. B and I are discussing me going back to work because money is getting really tight and I am scared to leave him and sad to lose all the time I have with him during the day. I do think it might be good for him to be with other kids during the day though. Sad.

Here are some newer pictures of Jake.

Jake loves the yard. The neighbors cotton tree makes a mess out of our yard.

One of Jake's favorite things to do is hang out with Daddy

Friday nights is pizza night. He loves pizza. He is now able to pick it up and eat it instead
of me having to cut it up in little pieces. Tonight he ate two whole pieces. Growing boy!

Jake just learned how to use a straw. Now he wants to drink everything out of a straw.

Jake loves rides with Papa and Molly up at the cabin

Jake's two new favorite braille books that he got.

One of Jake's favorite toys

Jake and his friend Emily.  We were blessed to meet a family with a daughter that has the same eye disorder as Jake. Now he has a friend just like him that he can relate to. 

First bike ride. He doesn't look like he is having fun but he had a blast. 

Dare Devil

First real injury. He went down the slide face first as you can see from the picture above this one.

So there you have it. Jake please slow down so I can take everything in. You are just growing up way to fast for me. I love you baby.

Mom