Heading off camping on Thursday and cannot wait! We’ll be going with 4 other families and it’ll be the first “vacation” type of thing we’ve done in ages. It’ll be nice to get away and relax! We bought a new tent so we’d have more room and this one has a front screened porch along with a huge room that can be divided into 2 rooms. We are bringing Neeva with us and her crate, along with kiddos pack n play so those will take up some serious room. This tent should be perfect! We have been gathering up our camping stuff, making some shopping runs for misc. stuff we needed and then we’ll do a grocery trip before we actually go. Each family is going to be doing a breakfast or dinner so that should work out pretty easy and we’ll just have to do our own lunches. SOOOO excited!

So hey it’s a happy post, but I do have happy posts on the previous page and tons in the past. *shrugs*

Do you ever feel like others plan your week out before you have the chance to plan it yourself? Some weeks I feel like we have a million things we are doing without it actually being something I “schedule” us to do. This week is one is going to be one of those weeks and it’s stressing me out before Monday has even really begun. At times I enjoy the social activities, the dinners, the jaunts to the coast, the family time and on the other hand I just want a weekend to ourselves - Peace and Quiet.

We have all these plans for the backyard, the house, the garage and places I’d like to see this summer (I haven’t even gone downtown Portland, or the Saturday market, or the Waterfront..all places I’d love to see). For weekends now, someone pulls us this way or that way. As Patrick says, we can say “No” but that is a hard word for me. I don’t know, I’m so damn non-confrontational about everything and I realize that more then ever. I never used to be this way, I could stand up and say it how it is but now I hide behind things and don’t speak my mind on half of what pisses me off. It’s the whole “choose your battles” syndrome.

This week is not only 4th of July but a week with family. Let’s start off with the “schedule” of the week.
Monday – working until 1:00, landscaper appt. @ 2:00, store trip @ some point
Tuesday – working until 1:00, friends coming out to sign house papers so visit with them
Wednesday – (4th of July) setting fence posts with FIL, neighborhood bbq @ 5:30 ~ ??
Thursday – drop Mazda off for service @ 8:30am, Me work 9-1, Patrick goes with his dad to the airport to pick up James, picks up Mazda after, dinner at IL’s friends place
Friday – work 9-1 (was going to take off but not now), Patrick goes off with his brother for drinks (don’t get me started)
Saturday – driving to the coast with the family
Sunday – day off??? We need to start taping and marking the house for our 1 year anniv. warranty walk-thru.
*this doesn’t sound so bad but with a toddler things are way more complicated, although I’d never complain about having Braysen in my life!!!!*

We have had big plans for our backyard and have accomplished very little so far. It’s starting to bug me to say the least. The landscapers that the builder used didn’t exactly do the greatest job in preparing our yard for grass & mulch, they basically mowed the weeds and laid everything down on top. So, this spring our weeds were out of control to say the very least. We’ve spent quite a few hours on them but with raining weekends and only being able to work on it when kiddo is napping we are in a losing battle atm. We had a neighbor (who recently moved) offer to help us with our dog run fencing but he has since disappeared basically and we are going to do it ourselves. This Wed. we are finally setting the posts for it and hopefully that will be finished in the next 2 weeks.

I have a landscaper coming out to give me a quote on our deck (or patio since we are now checking into the cost of that – another topic that I do NOT want to get into). We’ll see how much that is going to set us back and maybe see what they quote us on terracing our slope with different levels of beds. I’d like for us to just buy the materials and pay labor but we’ll see how this all works. I’ve never had to work with a landscaper before and I want to get a few more quotes also after this guy. We’ve talked of just doing it ourselves too but finding the time for all this crap is near impossible lately!

This summer has been honestly miserable with rain. This is the first week that it’s going to be especially warm and nice. I really don’t know how I’m going to stand living in Oregon for the rest of my life – I have told Patrick this too…between the weather and some other issues …I really think I need out after I finish school but we’ll see.

I’m just happy that I have some friends in the neighborhood to talk to about my rants and ramblings. That’s probably why I don’t vent so much on here anymore. I find myself with less time on the computer to type this all. It feels good to type it out though!

I realized I tend to just spam pics instead of updating lately. I guess it’s really because I tend to upload my pics and want to share them but then when it comes to typing up some post on just daily shit I slack off. So this might be a long post! - kiddo napping so it could be long or short I guess depending on him!

Work stuff~ I landed the job of my dreams for being a mom still and going back to school. I now work part-time @ a private college here locally. It’s an amazing opportunity because my hours are flexible. I work currently 9am-1pm but that could change come fall when I start some classes. I’m meeting with an advisor to figure out my pre-req. classes for the program I want to get into and what will transfer from before. Then I’ll work on a schedule to start off nice and easy my 1st semester back. I have a long road ahead of me but it’ll be worth it and my work schedule can move around my class schedule so it’s perfect!!! I get FREE tuition among other benefits - like paid vacation, retirement plan etc. For working part-time I’m stoked I get such great bene’s. It’s really like winning the lotto for me! I love the people I work with. Kiddo is going to my neighbors for daycare during the day while I work. She watches him and a few neighborhood kids, plus Charlotte is only 2 1/2 weeks younger then Braysen so that works out great. It’s the perfect situation and is sooo convenient.

Kiddo~ He’s currently sick!!!!! GRRRR. We took him to the doc yesterday after a long weekend. He has the starts of an ear infection and a red throat, which could or could not be strep. We gave him the amox. (he was on this for his last ear infection) but this morning he woke up with a rash. We took him back to the doc. and we aren’t sure if he’s allergic to it or if he has a viral rash infection of some sort. Either way, no more amox. for him until he’s older and then we’ll try it again to see if he really is allergic to it. He’s finally playing some today though, which is much better then the lay in my lap delirous / acting so unlike him routine of the past few days. He’s eatting a bit more today too but at least I haven’t fully weaned him from nursing because he was getting some from me thankfully. He hasn’t been sleeping worth crap the past 3 nights and that leads to some rough mornings! I just hope he is feeling better soon, it’s so hard to watch him whimper and cry but not able to tell you what’s wrong.

His 1st birthday party went really well and it was fun! I had a great time planning it and decorating etc. I know I went overboard but the 1st is something special I was happy to have my mom,step-dad, step-brother and my brother all in town. I haven’t seen my brother for 3 years so that was really nice and he loved braysen! He flew in from Colorado! My parents I saw at Christmas but it was really nice to have them drive in from Montana.

Spring is here and we are trying to get ideas down for how to landscape our backyard and what new flowers to add to the front! I’m itching with my green thumb to start planting! Think we are going to have a landscaper out to see if we can get some quotes/idea of how to do that backyard. I know next summer we’ll be looking @ buying kiddo his playset. I have some catalogs coming from places so we can get ideas and prices. I really just want a non-splinter wood nice one that has a fort with some swings, monkey bars and the slide of course. It’s unbelieveable how expensive those suckers are tho so I’m definitely shopping around a lot!

Last week I went out with the “girls” from the neighborhood for a Thurs. night dinner thing. I was told I couldn’t say no so we all piled into the converible and drove into town for dinner. We ate out at the rooftop bar at a local place downtown and I don’t think we stopped laughing from start to end. It was sooo nice to get out without the kiddos! We’ve decided that we’ll have to make that more of a regular thing. I’ve gone to a lot of neighborhood book club, girls nite out parties and such. It’s fun to get out and not worry about kiddo but get some girl social hours in! I love living in this neighborhood!

Patrick suprised me big time for my bday this year. We had talked that I wanted a laptop for my 30th birthday…well his brother ended up with another grant from apple (he has been doing some podcast stuff for apple) and anyhow ordered himself a new computer. He knew I wanted a laptop and sold us his Mac powerbook for a steal (i’m typing on it now). It’s taking me a lot to get used to but thankfully I use a mac at work so i’m getting even more adjusted too!!!

Anyhow the BIGGGGGG suprise is not the powerbook thing. We ordered last week me a new desktop computer from www.cyberpowerpc.com I’m SOOOO excited to get it. It should be here in the next few weeks. I’ve been eyeing it’s order waiting to see it say built and shipped! I need a new computer so bad it’s not funny!!! It’s cute too…..I mean you ask how can a computer be cute? BUT, it’s GREEEN!!!! I am just happy that I’m getting one but suprised! Hubby does good on the big 3-0 birthday presents even though this is an early one!!! He did VERY well and wins the husband of the year award.

I saw some drama going on another board and I just want to make it clear here about something. I honestly am NOT here to brag about new things or materialistic things (I hope I don’t give that impression to people) I find myself posting about things that I get or pic whoring because that’s all about the good news or things that I can think of to write about!! I like sharing pics of these things cause they are cool! That’s just my side note If I annoy people or someone thinks that about me then i’m honestly VERY sorry if I give that impression.

Oh, and I have baby fever again. *sighs* I even checked out the chinese calendar to find out when I could conceive a girl We are still holding out until the end of the year / beginning of next year though and it looks like this year and next year are great for girls. haha..I know i’m horrible but i’d love one of each and if not, Patrick is in trouble because we’ll be going for #3! (we will stop at 3 though!) I know 4 women in my neighborhood pregnant right now and it’s killing me! One is only about 8 weeks along, the other are all due in May/June. It’s going to be a baby summer here and I know that isn’t going to help my babyitch!

Well back to cleaning! Hope I didn’t spam toooo long!!!

Braysen and his neighborhood playmates at the pumpkin carving party last night. Did I tell you how much we LOVE LOVE our neighborhood?

random images from today before we headed off to shop @ washington square!
such a cutie!

this pose is hilarious to me

not so great but oh well