Go Kayleigh! It's your birthday!

LOL Ok well I haven't gone to sleep yet so it still kinda counts as my birthday! I've had alot of excitement going on. I think my 23rd has been my greatest birthday so far!!

I started Friday night by passing my training class in the nick of time! Richard and I, and 2 other couples, spent the saturday and part of Sunday in Park City. We stayed at the Marriott Mountainside and I highly recommend it.(Assuming you are debt free and have saved the $380 per night in your nifty cash envelope!) This place was AMAZING! There were 5 hot tubs steaming in the cold winter air. We rocked some Kareoke. The boys went snowboarding while the girl hit the outlets. And at the end of the night we sleptin candlelit bedrooms with the most comfy hotel mattress known to man!

Today I got phone calls and texts from the bunches of people who love me and I love them back. Dad and Christy took me out to lunch. Everyone was super sweet!Thanks a bunch!

Oh and I almost forgot! Grandma B made my favorite roast for dinner on Sunday. What a sweetie! And on thursday Richard brought me a big bouquet of "Just for being amazing" flowers . Did I hear a unanimous "AWWWWWWW"? LOL Have a happy week everyone.

Emotional Spectrum

It was a pretty crazy day around these parts yesterday. I'll start with the happy happy news. My little teensy tiny bundle of smiles had her first bite of cereal! Yay!! Of course she spit it all out about fifty times while I scooped it back in, but I insist thats a natural tongue movement and not disgust.

On the sad side of the spectrum, the world lost a great great man. Uncle Freddie, brad's great uncle on his moms side, passed away. Not too many of my people got the chance to meet him. Ill tell you a few of the many wonderful things about him.
He greeted every woman he knew with a kiss on both cheeks.
He never let the moment slip by to tell you how beautiful or handsom you looked.
He knew every Tony award winner since the beginning of time!
He sang show tunes at random moments and made happy birthday sound like a masterpiece.
He had the funniest jokes and they were just a little dirtier than you would expect.

In his day Uncle Freddie was quite the star.If you want to get a small glimpse of his shining spirit(and I recommend you do) you can see him in the movie "The RM." He plays the crazy grandpa who wants to serve everyone half cooked hamburgers.LOL.

I loved Uncle Freddie and am so honored I got the chance to know him. I want to end on a happy note. So when Caydance was upset because she couldnt visit Uncle Freddie in Heaven, we explained to her that hes happy up there and with the people he loves. Caydanc will now tell you "Uncle Freddie lives in Heaven with Jesus and his Mommy but we cant sleepover."

The highs and lows of Turkey day

Can I just start by saying how much I love Thanksgiving? How fantastic that we are encouraged to eat so many delicious things in one day!

Well the festivities started at Dad and Christy's house. I would have to say my favorite dish is a tie between the whiskey carrots and the raspberry almond cake. Mmmm. It was fun seeing everybody I really like just sitting and talking with my dad. He could be talking about work and machines going down and management techniques and it totally fascinates me! I love it!

Thursday was a little sad for me. It was my first holiday experience without my little babies. I did however make some fantastic french toast for caydance that morning. Then I got the girls all dressed up pretty to go out with their daddy.

Richard went to visit his family in montana for the feast but sent me beautiful pictures along the way.

Moms dinner was also delicious. I would have to say my favorite was the cranberry maple sweet potatoes. And thats a huge step from dispising the orange root! I did get to spend alot more time with my baby sister Kenzie who is totally not a baby anymore.

Last night I decided to make my very own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time so I could share it with the girls and Richard. I made stuffed mushrooms(which look more like baked potatoes in the pic.) Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheddar garlic biscuits, and cranberry sauce! Grandma B treated us to pineapple upside down cake as a thank you for sharing.

I'm thankful for a lot this year. For the girls be super cute and healthy. For lots of friends and family. And for my realization of self reliance. It's been a much better year than I could've imagined. I however am not grateful that nobody ever comments! Is anybody even reading these things?

My internal clock needs batteries.

I started training at the USPS REC on Monday. It's pretty sweet so far. I know a few people who work there already. I'm making a few new friends. I'm surprised to see how stressful sitting all day can be on your body. My back is screaming for some Advil and a heating pad as we speak.

So my training schedule, for the first 2 weeks, is 6 PM to midnight. I thought that sounded pretty awesome. There were a few things I didn't consider. For example I realized that since I was pregnant with Athena there have been few nights that I stayed up past 10. So when I reach that mark I still have 2 hours to go. Then I have the wait in the car while it thaws, the drive home, the inevitable wind-down period, and I finally fall asleep somewhere around 230. Then I wake up at 630 to get the girls. To top the whole thing off nicely they have been fighting a massive cold.

So I'm going on my 4th night of practically no sleep. It's obviously taking it's toll. I'm an emotional wreck!(LOL MORE than usual I mean) And it's like I have no control. My body needs a hard reset. Where's the sleeping sand when you need it?

I'm about to get busy!

I am so excited! I start my new job at the SLC REC Post office warehouse on Saturday. I will be happy to be making more money to pay off my debts and start saving or the fabulous things I want in my future. I also like the feeling of knowing that I am providing for me and my girls. It makes me proud.

Brad decided it would be best for us to be only coparenting business partners for now. So we don't really talk and don't see eachother. It makes me a little sad but I am already seeing an improvement. I think it will make life easier in the long rn and maybe make for a better friendship down the line.

Caydance has become mommys superhelper. She is constntly rinsing dishes, throwing out diapers, or shaking baby bottles. She has suddenly become much more playful and interactive with Athena. Her recent obsession is putting up the Christmas tree which I told her we wouldn't to until Thanksgiving and have to remind her of everyday.

Athena has decided to start talking like crazy!! Well I guess it's nore cooing and gurgling than anything else. She's much more alert and is growing into her own little personality. A smile is almost always on her adorable little face.

I have been so so lucky to get not one, but TWO getaways in December! On the 6th I am going with a group of friends to stay in a condo in Park City to celebrate our friend Fivas turning 23. (Many thanks to Heather or providing daycare.) The weekend of the 13th Richard and I are going to Wendover for drinks food and fun! I am quite excited!

MOMMY! Mommy tagged me!

Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2)Answer the six "8" items
3)Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows:
~Grey's Anatomy
~House MD
~Bones
~Nip/Tuck
~What not to wear
~Shimmy
~Buffy
~Gilmore Girls

8 Things I did yesterday:
~Picked up the girls
~Ate La frontera left overs
~Washed dishes
~Cleaned the kids room
~Bought apples and a vegi tray
~Dropped the kids off
~Watched Shimmy
~Hung out with Richard

8 Things I look forward to:
~Starting my new job!
~The holidays with my new little family!!
~Going back to school.
~Getting out of debt.
~My 2 vacations in December
~Athena crawling. How cute will that be!
~Thanksgiving dinner x3!!! Yum-o!
~Getting back to my skinnier happy self!

8 Favorite Restaurants:
~Red Lobster
~Johnny Carinos
~Z tejas
~La Luna
~Citrus Grill
~Costa Vida
~Macaroni Grill
~Leatherbys

8 Things on my wish list:
~A better friendship with Brad.
~A home of my very own!
~The time and money to go back to school.
~A happy future
~A smaller tummy
~A big happy family
~A savings account with an impressive balance
~Inspiration to find a passion

8 people to tag:
~Ummmm I don't even know 8 people or if I can re tag someone so "I'll get back to ya"(Palin style)
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A Job and a sick day

I finally made it around to the meeting for the USPS. I have an interview tomorrow and my friends that work there said they hire everyone who passes the background check. I was thinking long and hard and I don't remeber any felony kidnapping charges or identity theft so it looks like I'll be starting on the 22nd. It's about time ya?

I have come down with the worst cold ever. The sniffle isn't so bad. The cough is barely there. But I feel like I ran a marathon or something. Every muscle just aches. Grandma B stocked me up with Nyquil, Airborne, and chicken noodle soup. Something is bound to fix it.

What is this strange lack of noise?

Silence is so strange for me. I think it was the years in a house full of sisters and then my house full of kids. Tonight it's dead silent. The kids are at Brads house for the night. I have no date. I can occasionally hear grandma walking around but that's it!

It's like the langoliers around here!!! (A little Stephen King reference for mom.)

So I scrubbed my kitchen until it sparkled. I washed my sheets that were washed a few days ago. I reorganized the cans in my cabinets. This feeling should pass right?

On a side note, I am only a few small steps from employment. I missed my meeting to get in on account of a battery problem in the car. Many many thanks to Christy for coming to rescue us on the side of the freeway.(Why do you always break down on the freeway? Is that just one of those things like traffic when you are running late?)

The Friday Feel Good (Think Warm Fuzzies)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items In front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the Important things- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they Remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things thatMatter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.' 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand..'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffeeRepresented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Times are a changin!

Again I start with an apology to those who actually look on here to see what is happening in my life. I have a very large update for you guys today. Lets start with the biggest and work our way down. It will be like a Tarintino Movie!(I haven't watched Pulp Fiction in a while!)

1. Brad and I are getting a divorce. I am trying to be tough., trying to be strong, trying to be the hard as stone single mom you always hear about. But sometimes, when the mood hits just right or I'm alone I cry. It's a sad sad thing. I have made horrible mistakes and hurt him. He's done the same to me. All I know is that we love eachother, not in the way 2 married people should, but in the way that kids who grow up together and experience life together do. I wish happiness for him.

2. I moved into my grandma's basement. I know it's not "MY" place but I [ay rent and clean it and decorate it! That's about as close to "MINE" as you can get right? It's a strange thing doing it myself but I'm adjusting. Sometimes I think......"What do I do with all this spare time I suddenly have?" So if you have any hobby suggestions let me know.

3. I'm job hunting! I'll let you know how that goes!

I love you all. And thank you so much for your love and support. Special thanks to mom for feeding me, putting a roof over my head, and keeping it real LOL. I needed the tough love.

Fordham Friday Funny!

Todays funny Caydance story should make grandma very proud! Caydance was sitting on the computer pushing random buttons so her aunt emmalee asked "do you want to play paint?" Caydance replied "I want to go on your space Emmalee!" LOL I hope you get it! Happy Friday!

My mini chicken and the one who thinks it can fly!

Athena (I spelled it right this time!) had her 2 month Dr. appointment. She is now a WHOPPIN 9 pounds and 3 ounces! She is 21 3/4 inches long and is managing to get through her first few months with an average sized head(unlike her genius sister). The Dr says that if her gas and poop problems arent clearing up I should try cutting dairy out of my diet. Hmmm..... that's ice cream, cheese, and milk. My best friend pointed out that I will be left with coke and the occasional vegetable!

Caydance has decided that she wants to be a stunt double when he grows up! While I was at Dr Brogli's office Caydance stood up on her mini stroller from santa and attempted to jump over her gate. Well she didn't quite make it over, her foot caught in the stroller, and she knocked the gate down landing on her face. I guess santa didn't take this situation into consideration before leaving the stroller under our tree. What was he thinking? LOL

I finally found the brake pedal!

One of these days, when I say I promise to keep you all better informed in blog land, I will honestly and truly live up to it! I finally found a little down time to write about this little adventure I am taking down the long winding road of life!

Our little family of 4 packed up all our baggage and moved into my in-laws basement. While I am aware that this is a common step for those married before their brain cells fully developed, it still leaves me a little on the down side. I am trying to stay positive and have found a few upsides to the situation. People here think my cooking is of the gods! That's a nice feeling. I also get a little help with juggling a toddler that is obsessed with touching everything in her range. Everyone always wants to hold babies so Athen pretty much has it made in the shade around these parts. We are beginning our financial makeover. No debt someday is a relaxing thought.

Caydance is growing up and moving faster than I will ever be able to adjust to. She can open her gate now..... the tall one! So corraling her isn't really an option anymore. The other day she decided she wanted some cheese, so she took out the block and took a big bite out of it! Insane! Her favorite words are "Oh pap!" (oh crap) and "what eeeeeverrrrrr" And today for the first time, when I told her she couldn't have ice cream until AFTER her nap, she replied "I hate you" Of course she followed it by "I didn't say it" Looks like I have a pre teen on my hands!

Athena is huge. Well not by any normal standards but her chicken legs have filled out to be of average thickness! And she is pooping every 6 days which is a big improvement for her! LOL She smiles ALOT. She has a few little dimples in her chin that I never noticed until the fat set in.

Brad is enjoying his new job. He's ranked at the top of his training class and pretty proud of it. We hit another little rough patch recently but we're doing that "work hard on your marriage" thing people are always talking about. I'm sure it will all be fine and we spend alot of time together in the process!

Fill you guys in more frequently. Promise!! LOL I miss you all. I swear I haven't seen you all in ages!

A month of monologues

Howdy there blog world. We decided to cut cable and internet here at fort fordham to save a little money. That is why I have been slacking in my monologues.

Brad got a job at Comcast whhich he starts on Monday. It turns out we will get cable and internet for free now! He is pretty happy to be getting out of the production industry, and I am happy to are him in a few more dress shirts!

Athens is doing spectacular. She holds her head up like a champ. She is much more mellow than her sister, she is happy just laying in her swing all day.

Caydance has become quite the little parrot. Some of the words she picks up on aren't the greatest but I have to admit its still a little funny. She is also a mini mommy. Last week she kept saying "Tuh tuh stop dat ah I tude" Hopefully that passes soon.

As for me, I had my Dr appointment today. I have lost 31 pounds in 6 weeks and that puts me at 11 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant! Go me!

finally finished

Well today we finally got the news we have been dying to hear. The seventh Dr in our journey says that we have a healthy happy baby. No more mini tanning bed. No more draining insane amounts of blood from her little tiny foot. And no more of grandmas gas being wasted on valley wide expeditions to the hospital. She's really at home now and we couldn't be happier. Love you all.

Wow. Blog much Kayleigh? Ha ha. I am giving myself a get out of jail free card because of the birth of my little sweetness!!!

That's right! Athena Jasmine Fordham has finally arrived and I am so so happy. I think I rushed it a little but when you see her face you'll know why I couldn't possibly wait another second to meet her.

Athena spent her first 2 days on earth in the NICU. I wasn't really prepared for that. I'm really thankful for all the support of my family and friends. I don't think I could have made it through that situation without them. I feel like I sould give some kudos to the NICU nurses at jordan valley. Those people love ther jobs and you can see it every minute of the day. I am glad I had such amazing people working to get my baby healthy. Now Athen is breathing like a champ and nursing like a baby dairy cow :)

Now we are on step two. Jaundice. I thought that after dealing with Caydance's jaundice a few years ago I would be able to handle it with no problem. That is not how it went down. LOL When that guy showed up with the Bili light I cried worse than my newborn. I am doing ok now. Just nursing like crazy and resisting the temptation to play with her so that she can hurry and get better.

I haven't had much time to get to know my baby girlbut here is what I know so far......

She has a little dimple on her right cheek. She has my long skinny toes. She also seems to have my crooked eye issue. She's very mellow and relaxed. She handles her sister mauling her very well. She is fascinated by her daddy talking to her. And I love her more than I ever thought I could.

Many more updates to come on my new life as a mother of two..... kisses and hugs.

The universe is awry!

Until this morning I was a big believer in small moments of madness leading to big events. Unfortunately I was proven wrong by the universe, it's always a bummer when that happens. I'll start from the beginning....

I had a Dr. appointment yesterday.(The last one before the big induction next week!) They had scheduled me in the late afternoon which is nevergood for our single car situation. Rather than waking up earlier than the rooster to take Brad to work, I asked Mom for a ride. Mom is always to the rescue! So the time comes to leave for my appointment. I managed to bathe, brush, and dress and feed both Caydance and myself. I was on a roll!

Then Brad calls, with alot of excitement, to tell me he is off of work and can make it to the appointment. He really has missed going, he's the involved type. So I take Caydance out of moms car, we all give kisses, and we sit on the porch to wait for Brad.

We rush as fast as we legally can to the hospital and manage to make it only 5 minutes late. We run up the stairs (My run was quite waddly), burst through the door, and let the receptionist know we had an appt. That was when she informed us that our appt was at this time tomorrow. My pregnant brain had made me very upset. That was a whole lot of hoopla for nothing!!!

Then on the way home the car started acting funny. One little thing at a time was going crazy like the car had been posessed by an evil demon! After calling my dad (Parent number 2 to my rescue) we found out it was the alternator. Dad bought one for us, a VERY expensive gift, and Brad bravely told them to go on to their anniversary dinner and he would install it. What a hero!

Well somewhere around midnight Brad and his brother finally finished up. Did I mention it was a full moon? Well anyway, I lay upstairs waiting for the baby to come but not a single contraction. My theory was disproved. And now I sit here, before sun up, preparing myself for the real Dr appt. Wish me luck!

Anybody else baby hungry?

I found this poem in a magazine. I guess it's a few lines from a childrens song. I am so excited for my baby to come that I am crying over her carseat. It makes me feel a little crazy. But this poem gave me warm fuzzies so I thought I would share it.

Last night
While everyone was asleep
I looked out my window,
up through the trees.
The sky was so big
and covered in stars!
I knew a baby brother or sister
would soon be ours.
Our family of three
is growing beyond
my mommy daddy and me.
Just how will it be,
when we add another branch
to our family tree?

*sniff sniff*

Curly Sue's big tadoo!

My curly haired little girl got her first hair cut today. It was beginning to get a little out of control and I saw scary carrot top things happening if I didn't do something quick! So we called up Kaylee, our family favorite hair stylist, to handle the job.

We didn't want anything too drastic! So she started by trimming up the back so the ends would hopefully tangle up alot less. This is where I start day dreaming of days without screaming fights over pigtails. Kaylee took so little hair off that I couldn't even see it hitting the ground!

Then we went for bangs so that her hair would stay out of her eyes. Now I must share with you a very embarassing moment. Kaylee went to cut the bangs and Caydance refused to look forward. So when holding a small toy wouldn't work, Kaylee brilliantly said "Caydance will you look at my pretty necklace?" So after she admired it for a minute I asked Caydance "Do you think her necklace is pretty?" to which she replied........ from the mouths of babes......."Boobs!" You think maybe there has bee a little too much talk of breast feeding lately?

Well everything turned out well. Caydance is now a picture perfect little toddler with her attitude, chubby cheeks, curly hair, bangs, and full knowledge of the female anatomy. Kisses until next time.

Sorry about the absence!

Alright! Well I finally escaped corporate america! ( Actually I was kindly laid off) But now I am at home and getting into the groove of the stay at home mom thing! I have been planning meals AND cooking them. (Anyone who knows me will realize the humor in that) I have also created an office area downstairs to make way for the nursery!

Athena Jasmine will be here in 5 weeks and 4 days. We finally got a crib and I am absolutely in love with it. Now I just have a whole nursery to build around it! Caydance is getting pretty excited about her sister. SHe checks the crib every morning to see if anything has changed... as if Athena has magically appeared overnight.

Well I hope you are all having as much fun with this spring weather as I am! Talk again soon :)

I'm Kayleigh. Nice to meet you!!

Alright. So this is blogger land? I guess I can work with this. I fully intended on sticking to my Myspace argument with mom. When Heather Signed up, I had no choice. So I guess if all else fails I can copy and paste between the 2!

Well not too much is happening right now. Mostly just waiting. Waiting to move. Waiting to have a baby. Waiting for brad to get settled in his job. Mostly I'm waiting to be a stay at home mom. Ever since the topic came up work seems like torture! I sit here next to my two foot window and dream of playing at the park with the kids. Or going out to lunch with the girls. ( Not quite sure who "the girls" are, but every stay at home mom does that right?) Guess I will just have to keep at this whole working thing for now. But I have faith that soon my day will come!