Updates Promised!

I promise I'm going to start updating this more regularly, hopefully a couple times a week.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get the page set up to be more pretty and customized. I can't seem to get it much better than it is now with their basic templates. Perhaps I'm webpage design illiterate? Any help would be appreciated!

New Year, New Me

I've got all these goals in mind for 2009, the main one of which is to become organized and simplify my life. I haven't even stopped long enough to write down all of my goals! I know that I won't remember them all right now, but I'd like to keep track of them and hopefully mark them off throughout the year. But, they're just goals. I'll strive to meet them, but won't stress if I don't.

1. Stay organized
2. Spend more time playing with Abby and do housework and all other chores when she's asleep, even if it means staying up late and being tired.
3. Become more patient - I'll be glad to take advice on how to accomplish this seemingly impossible feat!!!
4. Sit down every Sunday and log all expenses into Quicken for the previous week.
5. Keep my house clean and free of clutter.
6. Learn photography - mentors being accepted :)
7. Get back into scrapbooking
8. Try to journal more about Abby and what all she's doing so that I can look back years down the road and remember it all. Who am I kidding thinking I'll never forget any of it? I've already forgotten so much!!
9. Be a better friend
10. Organize some sort of family reunion - preferably the entire extended family, but if that's not doable, at least the immediate family - aunts, uncles, cousins. We're all so spread out now and never all get together anymore.
11. Figure out some sort of business of my own to establish/operate
12. Take a family vacation
13. Begin house plans
14. Build our savings account back up
15. Lose weight - my ideal weight is 40 pounds less than I am now. Right now, I'd be happy to lose 20.
16. Quit being slouchy and do my hair and makeup every day, or at least every weekday!
17. Quit watching so much tv!

That's all my tired brain can think of for now, but I will probably add more in the days to come!!!

New Pets!

I find it hilarious that there are hundreds, probably even thousands, crawfish mounds in our yard and on the adjoining land. This picture was not taken by me, but this is what a crawfish mound looks like for those who aren't familiar...

Two weeks ago, we had over 5" of rain in one afternoon. Our yard was a lake!!!! Thank goodness Grant gave me rubber boots for Christmas - I used them for a week to get to my car!

After the rain finally stopped, we ventured outside and found crawfish everywhere!!! They were just crawling around, playing in the water!! Grant made fun of me for taking pictures of them, but I thought it was hilarious. If only they'd been a little bigger, we could've had a crawfish boil!!!!

It won't be much longer and we'll be smelling that wonderful aroma of crawfish boiling!

Coyotes

Yep, coyotes. Ville Platte's got 'em. Right in my back yard.
My sister in law who lives just a couple houses down told us they can hear them howling in the woods behind us sometimes. Then some other neighbors told us every now and then they find a pile of feathers instead of their chickens. Abby and I were out looking for crawfish 2 days ago when I found some unusual footprints in the mud. They were too large to be a dog and not the right shape. I googled coyote footprint images that night and that's exactly what it is!! Super scary to have them walking around in my back yard!!! I felt better knowing they were in the woods where I can't see them. But to know they're coming up within 30-50 feet of my house is too much! I seriously doubt they would ever be out in the daylight and would more than likely be afraid of a human, but there are reports all over about coyotes attacking people, mostly kids. So, as if I wasn't paranoid enough about anything happening to Abby, now I can add coyotes to my list of worries. :/

Abby Update

We took Abby to the doctor sort of for her 18 month check up and because she was sick (another yucky ear infection). She was 31 pounds and 34" tall. Yay!!! She's finally getting taller!!!!!! She's still such a little chunk though and is still wearing 3T clothes, so we have to roll all her blue jeans up a couple times. This was a new doctor here in Ville Platte and he didn't really ask too many questions about her development and all like our old pediatrician would, but that's ok. I know she's right on track. Every day it is something new - usually a new word. Yesterday it was apple. Today it was dog. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!! So long as it isn't a "4 letter word"!!
She's at a stage where she's still trying to communicate what she wants to us and most of it ends with a point and grunt, but we'll get there eventually. We finally got her out of the daycare we didn't like and she's loving the new babysitter. Mom does too and my peace of mind goes quite a long way!
Abby loves to be outside - doesn't care if it's raining, snowing, 10 degrees or 100, she wants to be outside. There are horses in the pasture next to us and she likes to feed apples to them.
She's recently started liking her baby dolls and carries them around everywhere - always making sure they have their hat on though! Santa brought her a stroller for Christmas and she has fun pushing the dolls around the house. I think her favorite pasttime is still pulling things out, such as pulling every single block out of the box, then everything out of the wagon, etc. We're working on learning to put it all back up!!!
Everything else is going well and she's so much fun. She's really at an entertaining age!

Ok, here goes...

I'm irritated as shit lately by people who don't understand the concept of caller id. You call me, I see your number come up on caller id. If I feel like talking or am able to, I'll answer. If not, I don't answer. You have the option to leave a message or not. Either way, the id part is that it leaves your number on my phone so that I can see you called. There is no need to continue to call me every 20 minutes until I answer the phone. In fact, the more frequently you call, you're pretty much guaranteeing yourself that I won't answer at all. I don't like to talk on the phone. Everyone knows this. However, I understand some people just can't help it. No big deal. But don't call me incessantly to ask questions you already know the answer to or things that are pointless. And remember, you call me and I'm either busy, don't hear it or plain just don't wanna talk. You leave a message telling me what you want. When I get able or ready to, I'll call you back. No need to call me repeatedly. Doing so will result in no return call for you. Comprende?

Slacker

I can't seem to keep this thing updated for the life of me.
Things are going well for us all, trying to recuperate from the holidays. Abby was apparently very good this year. It's amazing the reindeer were able to pull the gift laden sleigh this far. We're now struggling with where to put all the loot. Doesn't help that we've just downgraded from a house to a trailer!!

Grant's still working with FedEx, just making an hour drive one way 5 days a week, including Saturdays. We aren't liking it one bit, but you gotta do what you gotta do. A local, M-F, 8-5 job with benefits equal to those of FedEx would be heavenly. He's enjoying being back in his hometown with ducks, golf and family close by and in that order!

Janna is still working from home for the time being, travelling back to Baton Rouge once a week to work. Also still trying to adjust to being in a town where she knows no one but family and used to being around SO much family all the time! I'm attempting to slowly unpack more boxes and find nooks and crannies to put our "stuff".

Abby is really enjoying being close to family and playing with her cousins all the time. She just started with a new "babysitter" today. The daycare she was in did not live up to our standards and we felt she was receiving no personal attention. She cried when we dropped her off and was crying when we picked her up. She's going to enjoy staying at Mrs. Rella's so much more and mommy's mind is at ease!! Can't put a price on peace of mind!

She's really become entertaining and fun. We spent the weekend with Pop Pop in Natchez and she had a blast. She's finally come to realize that he is Pop Pop. She followed him everywhere. When he would walk away, she would point and say Pop. You know he eats it up!! It's been so amazing to watch him with her. At the same time, it hurts my heart that my momma isn't here to see not only her, but to see dad with her.

Everything is going well for us, we're very blessed and couldn't ask for more!
Will post some pictures soon.

FINALLY!

After 17 1/2 months, much worry & anticipation (including a trip to the neurologist), Abby is FINALLY walking!!!!!!She's been walking on her knees for months and could get anywhere she wanted to, and fast! She started taking a few steps here and there about 2 weeks ago, but never many at a time. Thursday she walked more than she ever had, probably about 10 feet at a time. Yesterday we were in Target in Lafayette and she wanted out of the buggy, so Grant took her out, put her down and off she went!!! She hasn't stopped since. We're excited that she's finally walking, but this opens up so many more doors of trouble for her to find!! On another note, we are finally settled in our new home in Ville Platte and are enjoying life in the country once again. Having so much family (including babysitting nieces!) is great and something we've not experienced since having Abby. My mother in law says it is the cajun air that finally made her walk. Haha. She's doing well otherwise, very sassy and strongwilled (no clue where she gets that from!!!). She enjoys having her picture taken and will bring me the camera and give me a big cheesy grin until I take her picture. She's interested in putting things together and always grabs a screwdriver to help. One favorite pasttime is taking things out of bags, etc., i.e. mom's purse! She'll pull every item out, then put it back, entertaining herself for quite some time. She's talking up a storm, some we can interpret, some not. Her favorite words are bye, see ya and shoe. She'll still got her bright blue eyes and really blonde hair, which is now long enough to put in little pigtails!! :)

Things have been so hectic lately and I just don't have time to sit down and write. I hope that I soon will.
We are now living in Ville Platte. The movers arrived last Sunday and loaded everything up. Most things are still in boxes. Abby has been sick all week and Grant started his job in Alexandria, so things haven't slowed down at all.
I hope to catch up soon and give an update.

Random thoughts (to do list) re moving

Post office - since a home has previously been located at that address, can we just put up a mailbox and do a change of address form or is there more to it?

Dirt work - Lisa with S&S checking around to find dirt, backed up until next week, will call me back with an estimated price and day they can get to it, understands we are looking to have delivery of trailer next week

Tatman's - Let Chad know the day dirt work will be done so he can schedule delivery, hopefully next week

Schedule electrician and plumber (S&S) for the day after delivery

Have electrician run line to where storage building will be placed so we can have lights and outlets to plug freezer in

Have electrician install phone jacks

Internet - who is it going to go through? Would prefer not to have home phone, but it and DSL will probably be cheapest route

Cable vs. Internet - Who is cable company in VP? What would it cost to have cable run that far back off the road? Would satellite be cheaper? Wouldn't have local channels?

Insurance - call to get quotes

Check craigslist for free boxes

Start packing

Put things aside for a moving sale - probably to be scheduled for 11/15, even though it's a home football game, it's our last chance. Will have a lot of junk. If it hasn't been used recently, it's going in the sale pile. No room in the trailer.

Storage building - Necessity; check prices - Lowe's, Depot, etc.

Rental truck for moving? Worth hiring movers to load it? Check prices to have someone load, haul and unload - probably too pricy, but might would avoid everyone working their butts off and numerous tanks of gas.

Guest bedroom - Too small for a double bed - don't want to have to buy a single bed. Smaller computer desk?