Ringing in the New Year

I am not quite sure that we will be ringing in the New Year awake this year....I am guessing sometime between 10 and 11 pm the family will be fast asleep....we started out the morning showing a client a 2nd look at a house and then our family was planning on heading to Fort Collins to return a pair of motorcycle pants for Collin....well my client decided that they wanted to put a offer on this home....the home had only been on the market for about 48 hrs and was positioned to receive multiple offers...so we headed straight to the office and began working on our offer....with a little aggressive moves on my part we were able to block the other offers and my client got the house....I finally got home this afternoon around 3 or so.....Collin has been feeling a little sick the last day or so...and Dylan has a runny nose....so we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening at home..............ahhhh I love our home.....we all just finished bubble baths and now have our pjs on....I think we are going to head down to the game room and play some games as Dylan takes in a little Wubbzy.........as I reflect on this last year .....wow what awesome and busy year that we have had...Collin got a new motorcycle last year....we bought 2 more houses...our new one and our other rental........we enjoyed a great family bike trip and Maggie joined our family.....looking so forward to what 2010 holds for our family....I am thinking we won't be making as many purchases this next year....but then again you never know...ideally we would like 3 more rentals.....but most likely won't secure another rental until 2011....I am exciting about getting the front and backyard in order at our new home this year.....I am also looking forward to a couple of family trips.....and of course getting in shape and fitting into my old clothes...............that will be the best............well until next year

Diet

I would like to say that I am not on a diet and just going to a healthier life style and eating but the truth is that I am on a diet .....when you restrict your calorie intake it is pretty much a diet....its just the truth....of course during my diet I will be eating healthier due to the calorie restrictions and will be exercising since it is a important part of losing weight....it has been a full 24 hours and so far so good.....if I can make it thru the first week and all the craving for sugar and bread I should be ok.....I am also mentally in a good place for it....and am actually embracing all the extra energy I will have, and how much better I will feel physically and about myself...really all in all a win win...you know the reality is that I am 40 and a mother of a 18 month old son....it is important that I am the healthiest that I can be as a older parent...life isn't as forgiving as you get older so it is important that I stay strong, healthy and fit....it really is a life style change but in order to get where I want to be I do need to restrict my calorie intake....I am not following a specific diet but just making healthier low calorie low fat choices.....and can't go over my calorie restrictions......

I think New Years Eve will be a quiet evening at home.....we were invited to a party from one of my clients but we both really don't want to go...we thought about having a get together here at the house...but not really sure....during Collins next 4 day I think we are going to tackle his indoor shop and then finish the garage and are going to sand down the edges on the kitchen cabinets and get them repainted.....and perhaps get the kitchen base board trim painted...

Our Christmas Decorations are still up...I think I want to enjoy the season for another week or so....then I will take a day and put all of my treasures away until next year...saying goodbye to my old friends and looking forward to when I will see them again next year....

I am also itching for nice weather....it has been so cold and so windy that we just haven't been able to get outside....I think more snow tomorrow....perhaps if it is nice this afternoon....Dylan and I will bundle up and head to the park with the dogs for a winter walk....

I am off all day with my Dillybar.....our days off together feel so indulgent...lots of nursing....cuddling....playing....sleeping....and just in general a pretty darn good time...of course there is always the laundry, bits of cleaning, and errands to run but that just adds to the fun.....

until next time

Saturday Deals and a Slow Sunday

The family has had a wonderful weekend...we thoroughly enjoyed the day after Christmas....after sleeping in and breakfast we headed out the door off to a couple of stores to see what bargains could be found.....we headed out to buy new LED Christmas Lights and hoping to score a big discount on them for next year....we headed to Lowes....but no luck all of their LED lights were sold out.....we did though manage to stumble upon storage containers marked 75% off....we bought quite a few to help organize all of Dylan's toys and new Christmas gifts......so I spent the afternoon sorting toys into little tight lid containers so that way nothing gets lost.....so far it is awesome and I think we will enjoy as will Dylan enjoy playing with his toys so much more.....we then made our way to Kohls....I still had $10.00 in Kohls cash to spend....we bought a new scale...since my old one went on the brink about a week or so ago....only 15% off plus my $10.00 off discount so not a huge savings but a needed item unfortunately.....we finished the outing at the mall so Dylan could play at the kiddie play area...it is really a ideal place here in Cheyenne....it is warm and protected from the weather...and always lots of kids to interact with....he loves it and plus its free......of course if we go to the mall I must include a visit to Gymboree.....they had a great sale and I bought swim trunks and swim shirts for this summer for $3.00 a piece I also bought 3 pairs of summer shorts at $3.00 a piece....so it is pretty hard to beat.....the secret to buying at Gymboree is trying to buy 6 months to a year ahead if you can do that ....you can save a ton....good quality clothing at cheap clothes pricing.....we then made our way home...Dylan was ready for afternoon nap....and Dad needed to go do a little snow removal due to all the wind....once Dad got home we headed out for dinner....with you guess it a gift certificate....Dylan was well behaved and we enjoyed a great meal.....we made our way to Home Depot to see if they had any LED lights left....we weren't very hope full but it was close and we decided to check just in case......we lucked out.....they had lights for 50% off....so we bought like 10 boxes enough to do the exterior....they look pretty cool and the good news is that they use 80% less energy and we can string a ton of them together :)more good news.........still quite a investment even at 50% off ....thank goodness we had another gift card to help pay for them.......

This morning is another lazy morning at the Moody's...Dad had to head to work but Dylan and I slept in till about 9 or so.....Dylan loves to cuddle in bed in the morning....I read the Sunday paper in the warmth of my bed....and Dylan went in and out of snooze mode.....we headed down stairs to get a little morning play time in....after putting together a couple of puzzles, shooting baskets, racing cars and reading books....Dylan headed upstairs to his bedroom....he really loves his bed in his room and climbed into it and put the covers over himself and looked at a book.....to cute...I found comfort in the rocking chair and started this blog.....so far Dylan's favorite gifts remain the little man he pushes on the bicycle...his motor cycle and he really loves his new water bottle with his name on it...it has a strap that he can carry it over his shoulder and take it with him.....the rest of the day is going to be filled with necessary household chores...lots of laundry......and of course a luxurious afternoon nap with my Dillybar.....tomorrow back to work............

All of my favorites of Christmas 2009

Favorites of Christmas 2009
In Random Order

Seeing Dylan dressed up in the cutest soft black corduroy dressy overalls and argyle matching knitted cap..........perfection

Dylan receiving chocolate gold coins from his Nain....it took me back to when I was a little girl and the memories of my grandmother always attaching chocolate gold coins to my packages...it was always my favorite part of the gift...

Quenching my thirst last night on a big tall glass of cold water after eating way to many sweet chocolate every things....

Watching Collin help Dylan on his new motor bike....stuff only a dad can do right

Getting a really cool carved pig from Penny....

Watching Maggie and Winston curl up on the couch together this afternoon for what seemed like hours.......

Enjoying the fact that it was to cold to go outside and do anything

Taking in a long afternoon nap with Dylan after a visit to go see Dad at the Fire Station

Dylan crawled out of bed this Christmas morning and showed up at the top of the stairs.......... rubbing his eyes and ready to get Santa's gifts open..as I picked him up my heart swelled with love.........such a wonderful feeling

Thrilled with our new home and its ability to display all of my cherished collectibles

Waking up next to Collin exhausted due to the incredibly long night for both of us.... completely exhausted ....looking over at our sleeping angel that kept me up all night in turn keeping Collin up and somehow finding laughter and humor in it all...and knowing we wouldn't change a thing

Watching Mr Mooks thoroughly enjoy all the holiday festivities...inside

Dylan getting so excited about his little wire push toy...and pushing the little man on his bike all thru the house...to cute

Dylan getting more excited about the $2.00 Plastic Wubbzy Dolls in his stocking than anything else we bought him...........

I am already excited for next year...as crazy as it sounds.......

Blessings of Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a little more hectic and not quite as enjoyable as I had hoped.....we started the morning out with Dylan's 18 month check-up....which was good for the most part....Dylan is growing and doing well he is 90 percentile for his height and 25 percentile for his weight...Collin called at the time we made the appointment to verify that he would not need any shots.....I didn't want him to have any shots on Christmas Eve and have Dylan not feeling his best.....the nurse assured Collin that he didn't need any shots just a check up......well as Dylan's Dr. reviewed his records Dylan was actually due for 2 shots....I should have said we would come back but I didn't and we ended up with a little guy not feeling his best the rest of the day....in general it was just a hectic day....Collin had to snow blow I had to finish wrapping gifts and getting dinner stuff put together.....Dylan's Nain made the trip from Eaton which was a hi light to the afternoon....though she had to drive in pretty crappy weather to get here....it was a bright spot in the afternoon....We all headed over for drinks and appetizers at our good friends new home from 4-6...Dylan fell asleep at 3:45 so a 30 minute nap at most....visiting with friends was wonderful...but by the time we got home...I still needed to throw in the ham....which was a last minute decision we had a beautiful 15 pound prime rib in the fridge....but the last week we have eaten so much red meat....there was just no way that we would truly enjoy or appreciate such a nice piece of red meat....dinner was at least 2 hours out....so that meant making some short cuts in preparation to get everything out at a decent time so we had a good meal but not really a great meal....poor Dylan's night only got worse as he opened his first present he got so excited he banged his head on the toy and ended up with almost a busted lip....a little cut right between his lip and his nose.....so we know have a child with no nap, not feeling well from his shots, a cut lip and all the excitement thrown in was pretty much a perfect formula for a crying and cranky little boy....not quite the Christmas Eve I had envisioned....more importantly though we were truly blessed.....as I finished putting away the left overs I felt very fortunate to have the love of family , to be together, to have left over ham to put in the fridge....even if it wasn't the best ham.....to be able to have a bounty of gifts for our son.....I guess I would rather have him over whelmed with excitement instead of sorrow......to hold my little angel all night last night as he battled his aches from his morning shots....I didn't get much sleep but the warmth of my sons little body next to mine....looking for comfort from his mom... are moments I always cherish....sleep or no sleep...so in many way it was a wonderful Christmas Eve filled with many blessings...

We're Back

note****this is a blog that I never had time to finish from a couple of days ago

A great quick safe trip was had by all...........we were suppose to be waking up in Rapid City this morning but instead we are here at home......snow was making it's way to both Cheyenne and Rapid so we wanted to beat the storm home....we bundled up about 3:30 or so yesterday afternoon and headed home.......the first 3 and a 1/2 hours or so were socked in with heavy fog but no snow....the last 45 minutes coming into Cheyenne we were greeted with snow plows headed out for the evening storm and snow....all is well in Cheyenne



We had a great trip...the first night we spent the night in town at a hotel so I could see some of my friends I haven't seen since Dylan was born...we had a nice lunch with my old gang from work and had afternoon coffee with a dear friend of mine that I miss very much....Dylan was a little cranky during the visits since the poor little guy had been cramped in the car for over 5 hours the last thing he really wanted to do was sit in a high chair for lunch.....but Collin the great dad he is...kept Dylan busy so that I could catch up with my friends....after the visits we made our way to our hotel room........pretty nice and they allow pets and have a really great indoor mini swim park and slide........Dylan had a great time in the water....Dad took him down the kiddie water slides a couple of times and did well.........Collin then thought Dylan could make it down the slide on his own....it was pretty small and I was in complete agreement....Collin would let him go at the top of the slide and I would anxiously wait for him at the bottom.....and as soon as Collin let go of Dylan I think we both realized probably a really dumb parent move on our part......Dylan started sitting up but soon clunked his head on the slide...landed with a big splash and his head underwater......he was fine and slightly shocked we were both horrified....Dylan was in never any danger...we just set him up for a head clunk and a dunking......not very nice....he recovered immediately and was ready for more........after the water park which was free with our $65.00 room we made our way to Storybook Island which is just a fabulous children's park in Rapid.....they light it for Christmas at night..........it is absolutely amazing with all the lights and Christmas music...even Santa was available for a quick visit....we finished our evening off with a piece of red meat and a good thick beer....we then got up on Tuesday and headed to my moms for a earlier X-mas dinner and present opening.....Dylan made out with toys and more toys....and thoroughly enjoyed his grandma and grandpa..........

Into the night

Dylan and I have been getting ready for our trip to South Dakota....we just finished packing and taking our bath....Dylan is finishing off the evening with a little Wubbzy and I am blogging...yesterday was a long but great day.....worked a long day and then we finished the evening off heading to Eaton for a Christmas party with all of Collins high school friends....Dylan went to his Nain's and did well.....we made it home somewhere around 12:45 with no crying and Dylan and I were fast asleep withing minutes.....we managed to snuggle soundly until 9:45 or so....poor Collin had to head to work this morning....better him than me.........anyways we had a pretty blurry eyed sleepy morning....Dylan managed a morning nap....and after some power shopping this afternoon we both took in a 2 hour nap together......I love our afternoon naps together....we slumber well together....tonight we moved into 3rd gear and got everything packed for our trip....this trip should be extra fun...we are staying the first night at a hotel in Rapid that has a indoor slide and pool........am hoping to catch up with a couple of friends the first day and the first evening we will head out to dinner on a gift certificate......love gift certificates and then we will head over to storybook island...it is a free children's park in Rapid that they decorate with thousands and thousands of lights during the holidays.......Tuesday mid morning we will head up to Grandma and Grandpa Davis and take in a early Christmas dinner and presents..........we will head back on Wednesday hoping to beat the impending snow storm....I did so well early on getting ready for Christmas and then I realized that I am going to be gone for 3 days.....and had to get caught up today....so all the shopping is done........from groceries to gifts we are ready to get the celebration going.........

Why men can't have babies.....

I think I have figured out why men can't have babies...........it really is pretty simple they couldn't handle the pain....nor could the rest of the family handle them and all their drama.....this leads me of course to the main man in my life....my courageous and brave fire fighter husband...



My husband truly is a pretty courageous and brave man in all areas of life....except when it comes to everyday household accidents that take us all down from time to time....with that being said I can now get to the story.....



Sunday morning started out like most days....when both Collin and I are home....I jump in the shower and get ready for work and Collin heads downstairs to start the day with Dylan.....but for some reason on this day.....Collin the kind and wonderful husband he is decided to run and I mean run upstairs to check and see if I need anything....he was abruptly stopped by the top of the door..........as he was sprinting up the stairs with thoughts of his wonderful wife running thru his head he kind of forgot to duck and BAM....and I mean BAM he was stopped on impact....from the bathroom it sounded like someone threw our 40 pound hoover vacuum down the stairs...and then I heard the moaning and groaning that only comes from a grown man that has hurt himself....he was on the floor spread out face first on the floor.....things were looking bad....he asked me if there was any blood..........no blood...he is conscious..........and once these things are verified pretty much ok....the terrible wife I am begins to giggle...........I am giggling because I am partially nervous and I laugh when I am nervous and 2ndly I don't know why but I laugh when people hurt themselves in falls and such.....I know I am a loser...........but the first step to correcting my behavior is to admitting it...........I am guessing though that is as far as I will go with my recovery...anyways back to the action....after a minute or two of me trying to comfort my husband between giggles....he is still laying flat face down on the floor....I offered to call 911 ....I was ready to call out MAN DOWN MAN DOWN.....expedite to the scene...........but Collin was beginning to come around..........got up.....headed downstairs and proceeded with Waffles for breakfast............I gave him a kiss...apologized for the giggles and headed off to work.....I come home 5 hours or so later...........to a Moping Husband...I asked him if he was ok.....he was he complained though about the bump on his head and that he was mad about getting hurt......I don't get that....if I got mad every time I fell I would be mad all the time....I fall at least once every 2 weeks....down the stairs at work....on the side walk ....in the house.....I nurse my ego and wound for a hour or so ...then I move on...............not Collin....oh my god............we are now on day 4....this morning I did feel the divot on his head....it is substantial......but besides going to the hospital and having a MRI not sure what we can do....but I couldn't handle it any more....and then the meanness came out of me.....as he sat at the kitchen table....I told him to look at me...and with a concerned look on my face I told him that I think his left eye is pulling to the center.... and that I noticed it last night but that it is really noticeable now.....you could see the worry come over him in a second............finally... confirmation that he truly was deeply injured.....he headed immediately to a mirror to check out the damage.........after what seemed like forever he came back down and said that he didn't notice it...but was going to watch it......as he made eye contact with me...he knew immediately that it was all a mean terrible but wonderful joke....we both laughed and I think we are over the head bam injury after 4 full days.....thank goodness he didn't have our child and a c section....I am sure that he would just be recovering from the process.............in all fairness to Collin and after many discussion with other females I think this is just kind of a man gene...men just don't handle everyday aches, pains, and bumps and bruises as well as their woman counterparts.............with that I am going to call it a blog........until next time....

Updates

Grandpa Moody has been here in Cheyenne for a visit this last week.....he is heading back to sunny California tomorrow....we truly enjoyed his visit...and might actually add a couple of his healthy recipes to our diets........the bigger house has proven to be extra nice for company....Collin celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday....we had a nice lunch in Greeley, took in the Eaton Christmas Parade and spent the day with family....he has been off the last 4 days which has allowed me to get lots of work done at work....it also allowed me to take the afternoon off yesterday and take in the afternoon of Christmas shopping with a good friend....I felt ohhhh so indulgent....today has been a busy day at the office....with a early meeting, showings, and will run into this evening with a 5:30 appointment that will most likely run until after 8....I am sooo looking forward to tomorrow...a day at home with my Dillybar.........we both need a little mommy and son time............

Working in the cold

It is freezing here in Cheyenne....the cold has a ability to almost paralyzed your movement....the entire family except for Daddy are in the family room huddled all together...... Mr Mooks has received a repreive from the workshop and is happily curled up on the couch with Winston snuggled right up next to him....I am sure the two of them together are in absolute heaven.....Maggie is showing her California roots and is not fond of the freezing tempetures on her paws.......Dylan was a working boy today.....I had a contract that had to get signed and we showed one of my clients homes..........we made it home about 2:00 today and took a long afternoon nap....we are now up from our nap and will go about cooking a little dinner and I think I am going to make some fudge tonight for Collin he has been craving sweets.........Dylan is mastering running...and made a good 40 laps around the couch last night before bed pulling a little lawn mower behind him the entire time.........to cute.....his vocabulary is expanding but he only speaks when he wants something....no wasting words for this little guy.....tomorrow Grandpa Moody comes to visit.......so we are all excited....ready for a little outdoor thaw..............until next time

Team Moody

Well Team Moody is in full force today....Collin came home at 7:45 this morning from work....I headed out the door at 8:00 am for a meeting....I made it back home at 12:15 made us a quick lunch and Collin headed out the door to go do snow removal....he was back at 2:05 and I headed back to work for a 2:20 appointment....it is now 6:30pm and I just made it home and kissed Collin as he headed out the door to finish snow blowing............no complaints........just a busy day...a good day..........

Sleeping like bears

Dylan and I acting like two hibernating bears today.....we woke up at 6 something and after about a hours or so of tossing and turning we fell back to sleep and woke again at 10 or so...we cuddled in bed till 10:30 or so then made our way downstairs...we rummaged threw the fridge and ended up having crescent cheese dogs.......we spent the rest of the day playing....reading...watching a little tv and managed to curl back up on the couch for a 3 hours nap....we have been up now for about a hour....we will make our way into the kitchen again here in the next hour or so.....and then I imagine somewhere around 9 or so we will make our way back to our bedroom for a evening bath then back to slumber world....it was like 5 degrees outside today....so since there was no real reason to leave the house we didn't....a pretty lazy day......thoroughly enjoyed

Red wine and waiting

Right now I am enjoying a little Christmas music and a glass of red wine as I wait for our guest to arrive for dinner and a game of cards.....Collin is on a quick drive to see if Dylan will take a late nap that will eventually buy us more time to enjoy company and cards for the evening if he succeeds.........it has been quite a productive day...the entire family spent the whole day together...no snow shoveling....no showing houses or running to the office just a full day together at home...we managed to get the back room cleaned of boxes and clutter..........wow I kind of like that room now...we played a quick game of air hockey on our 2nd hand table and are looking forward to turning it into a play and workout room for the winter..........tomorrow I have to work for a couple of hours and Collin is going to work at the Christmas tree lot for the fire station...but I think in the morning we are going to put our effort towards getting our new garage in order....once that is in order we will be down to just one room that will need to be organized and that is the workshop...........we are all done with our Christmas shopping....I must mention once again that I have become a Kohls fan.....they always have really great discounts on kids toys like 50 and 60% off ...not a huge selection but with that kind of savings you just can't beat them.....they also have these Kohl bucks....well we earned $40.00 dollars in Kohl bucks and redeemed them during a sale they were having...we got $90.00 worth of toys and other stuff for Dylan for like $39.60....it was pretty fun walking out of the store with a big bag of toys and not having to pay anything....of course the reality is I paid for them on my first visit when I earned all my Kohl bucks....but that trip was also pretty awesome...we didn't buy anything that wasn't at least 50% off............thanks to Kohls for a very affordable and abundant Christmas.........tomorrow night we are possibly entertaining again....a good friend and her boyfriend.............business is on fire........it has been stress full but it feels good to be back in the center of all the action....well Dylan and Dad are back and Dylan is wide awake and ready for action...........so I guess most likely a quicker card game than we had envisioned............all is well.........until next time

Let it snow

We woke up this morning to crisp cold morning air and 2 inch blanket of snow.....I am home today with Dylan.....I have a doctors appointment this afternoon with a new allergy specialist that my pulmonary specialist referred me to....he wasn't that happy with my original allergy doctor...........so we will see........right now I am enjoying the quiet morning the fireplace and a cup of hot cocoa.........yesterday was truly a grueling day....I worked close to a 12 hour hard day....some work days aren't always hard....but yesterday was truly grueling.....and Thursday should prove to be the same.....when I can only really go in every other day and I right now we are working on 7 new home projects it means for a very long and mentally exhausting days when I do get to go in the office....usually crammed with one appointment after another..........I forgot how difficult new construction clients can be...how emotional and needy and stressed out....even when projects are on time and on budget it is literally a hand holding and taking all their emotional garbage for 4-9 months depending on the project.....right now we have 2 difficult and very demanding clients.......the first one is the most affordable home that we are building and I think they are more demanding than the people that are looking at building a extreme custom home....the funny thing is they all say they don't want to be a bother.................but.......everything is a apology followed by a but..............well enough with complaining....yes we are blessed with all of this business and are so appreciative................at least that is what I tell myself every morning.....Dylan after only one day have become quite a fan of the advent calendar...it was kind of funny yesterday morning as I got ready to head off to work....I asked Dylan for a kiss........no kiss.........then I remembered it was December 1st and showed him his advent calendar and pulled out his piece of candy.......as I gave him his candy he reached over and offered me a kiss..........with that we are headed to the advent calendar perhaps a treat awaits both of us...........