Happy 2010!!!

Hello!!

Well, it's been quite awhile since I blogged!  I've just been so out of it and busy with the holidays and Molly...whew! 

Anyway...we are all doing well.  We moved in November to a 2 bed/2 bath condo in Carmichael (down from our huge 3 bed/3 bath condo) to try to survive (financially).  WE LOVE OUR NEW PLACE!!!  The girls now share a room and so far that has worked out well.  I think they like it (or at least that's what I'm telling myself) and really, they are still so young to even care.  The condo is laid out much more condusive to our life.  They can play in the living room and their room and I can be in the kitchen doing what I need to do and still see them.  The place has a small pool, so we are really looking forward to summer and swimming every day!  We'll have friends over, too and I hear that not many people use it (maybe just one neighbor with her 3 kids) so that will be nice not to have an overcrowded pool.  Also, it's right at the bottom and around from our stairs (we live in an upstairs unit that backs to a park...beautiful view).  I've gotten pretty organized here..still working on it...getting rid of lots of stuff that we just really don't need!  It's amazing the stuff you think you need...but really, you don't.

Alyson is growing so tall!!!  I think she has had a few growth spurts in the past 3 months.  She's already 43 1/4" tall and 43 lbs.  Her hair is still crazy curly and wild...She has had two haircuts in the past 6 months.  She can write her name now and has shown interest in reading (she pretends to read her books which is great).  She is such a great big sister to Molly now (which is a huge relief for me..such a huge turn around from last year where I was litterally going crazy and almost going to seek medical attention for my anxiety and stress).  She is a protector now and has a lot of fun with playing with her (most of the time).  In the morning, I find her reading or playing games and talking to her sister while she is still in her crib (they try to let me sleep a little bit).  She's very much looking forward to Kindergarten.  I went today to place her in the Home School in our area-Starr King...which is not where I would like her to go.  I open enrolled her for Deterding (better school) but I won't find out until March (lottery system...fingers crossed!!).  I've also been looking into California Montessori Project (tuition free charter) and some other options just in case.  Wherever she goes, she will do great and I will be an active parent and plan to help and participate in her education as much as possible.  :)  I am enrolling Alyson in her first gymnastics class at Fliptastic (new gym in Carmichael right down the street from our new place).  She had a trial class and loves it.  She also tried out preschool Cheer, and enjoyed it, but it's just too disciplined for that age group...she had more fun in gymnastics.  She was in a little fashion show at Nordstrom (Galleria Mall) with her friend, Sierra.  She was such a little HAM walking up and down...so funny!  Also, as you might see in the pictures on the shutterfly share site (link below), she has this funny fascination with manequinns....she loves to go hold their hand or give them a hug...too silly!

Molly is doing well.  She's 17 months old now and she started walking last month (late bloomer) and now she never crawls.  She loves her babies.  She signs many things as well as says it when she signs...like more, all done, milk, drink, eat.  She doesn't like taking naps...ever, but she eventually goes to sleep...I put her down and she stands right up and I just have to leave the room.  Sometimes I hear her cry for a couple minutes, other times she just lays down...I think she's finally getting it...it's nap time...lay down.  :)  She can be very stubborn (wonder where she gets that??? haha).  She has lots of teeth and continues to get more..she loves brushing her teeth with her big sis and even mimicks when Alyson spits in the sink...she spits, too...it's pretty funny. 

Mike is, as always, continuing to work hard for us.  He's gone quite a bit, home a little more than usual which is nice.  It's slow time now, but his manager said she will keep him busy because he helped out so much over the holidays (and he is the senior driver....on the fleet now for over 7 years).  He's gotten a cold 3 times in teh past 2 months...poor guy and can't sleep that well lately and his back is hurting him a lot more.  I am hoping he can talk to the doctor about that when I make his appointment soon for a Vasectomy (yes, he is going to go through that because we are done having children).  Maybe they can help him with his other ailments. 

I am busy with the kids mostly.  I'm trying to get into a better routine in our new place to work out (mostly in the afternoon when I put the girls down for their naps)...I've joined sparkpeople.com, a motivational website for weight loss and other challenges and joined on that site a 12 week Biggest Loser Challenge.  I'm on a team with 4 other ladies (GO RED!) and it's just a nice support and keeps me on track and motivated with my weight loss efforts.  I've been busy, too, selling on Ebay (find me on Ebay user name angel_girl222).  I sell whatever I have laying around that we don't need.  My recent sales were some old maternity clothes and other clothing items.  Mostly I sell kids clothes that Molly has outgrown.  I'm saving all of my ebay $$ for hopefully a trip to Disneyland this year for Alyson's 5th Birthday and Molly's 2nd Birthday!!!  We really want to go for a few days!!! 

Mike and I celebrate in June our 5th Wedding anniversary.  We would like to take a getaway for a couple of days, but we will see how $$ is....we should file our bankruptcy case in April or May (have to pay attorney fees first-saving up for that) and get all our paperwork in (which is almost done). 

2010 should be a better year for us!  We are looking forward to a good year, and are thankful for our family and friends! 
Oh...and I must mention because I am just so excited....my Best Friend is GETTING MARRIED!!!  YAY!!!   Kirsten and Dave got engaged a bit before Christmas and I can't wait to celebrate and help and just be there!  WOOHOO!!!  :) 

Please visit our Share Site with pictures!!!  :)
http://heathfam4.shutterfly.com/

Alyson's 4th Birthday!!!!!

Alyson had a great birthday!  She woke up to a Dora backpack and card outside her door...I think she thought santa came to visit she was so excited!  Mike made yummy breakfast and then we were off and running!  Got to the park at 8:45 and snagged all 5 tables they had!!  WOOHOO!  Started setting up the craft table, food table and then hid things for the scavenger hunt! 

Guests arrived and the party was a success!  Kids had fun playing, doing the scavenger hunt, their craft and then guessing how many goldfish were in the bowl (1,604 by the way-and yes, I counted them all out!)...Congrats to Alyson's little preschool friend, Joshua, who won and got to take home all those fish! 

Cake time (Chocolate with chocolate frosting) and then presents!  Her last present was her 1st BIKE!  She LOVED all of her gifts and didn't want to go to bed because she couldn't stop playing with everything!! 

She had her first bike fall, after most guests left the party....bandaid and she was good to go! 

Thank you for everyone that was able to come! You made Alyson's day very special! 

YAY!
Here's the link to the pics!
Love,
The Heath Family!

http://heathfam4.shutterfly.com/

August/September 2009

Hello!
I haven't been keeping up on my blog too much lately...just been busy with other things! :)

August was great-Molly's 1st birthday was awesome! Although the cake melted before the party started, it still was a wonderful party day and I think she had fun! She is getting so big now. She is 22 lbs. and 32"..she hasn't started walking yet-well, I should take that back. She has taken soem steps on her own...the most was 6 steps and it was so exciting!! But, she's working on it and I think within a month or so she will be on the move! She's very cute-signing "all done" and "more" and she blows kisses when she wants her nap. She finally got some teeth!! They came in all at once...one bottom and two top with another top one poking through now.

Alyson is doing well! I am homeschooling her with preschool this year and we do little activities almost every day and games and puzzles...she will be 4 years old this weekend! I've been busy getting party stuff ready! And, she is so excited to turn 4 years old! She'll have her doctor appointment next week and we'll see how much she's grown! She's so tall. :)

I've been doing alright. Still looking for a part time job. I went on an interview for just a part time teller job and was told that the only reason I didn't get it was because they went with someone with less experience....translation-We can pay them less. Frustrating, but that's how it goes I guess!

Mike is busy working hard for our family. He's been home a little more recently only because work is slow (which isn't good) but it should pick back up here soon as the holidays are approaching!

Last month, we went to the Fair with Aimee and Emilia-super fun day!  This month, we went to Lake Tahoe for a few days-it was awesome!  It hailed on us the first night when we were trying to have dinner on the beach...that was fun..ha ha...but other than that, the girls loved Tahoe and I love being there.  I want to go back! 

Here is our link to the Picture website!! 
http://heathfam4.shutterfly.com/
Hope all is well!
Love,
Angel

Summer Post!

Hello! Well, we over here in the Heath Family are definetly struggling-but we are still a happy family and have each other and two beautiful and healthy girls to keep us going! We are only struggling really financially and to top off our already hard times, the A/C in our Kia SUV went out completely on one very hot 106 degree afternoon when I was driving Alyson and Molly to swim...it was awful. Two quotes later, it's going to cost us $1200 to get it fixed-which we don't have. So, for the time being, I am driving the very small Toyota Celica with the two girls in the back...at least it has A/C right? hmmm...positive thinking! Have no idea when we will have $1200 to get that fixed...maybe by next summer!

Alyson is doing great! She has been taking swimming lessons since the beginning of June and just LOVES the water! We go almost every day to lessons, but they end this week for us. We had a little scare with her last month. We bought a Tri Tip from Costco to cook Mike for Father's day. We enjoyed it and all the leftovers. Right after eating it, the next couple of days she was having pretty bad #3 (diarhea) and then the continued for a couple of weeks and turned bloody. About a week after we ate that tri-tip, we had a voicemail that said there was a huge beef recall for Ecoli and we purchased the tri tip that was included and DON'T EAT IT!! TOO LATE! I took her to the doctor for testing (which was fun for me...ha ha...stool samples for 3 days! yikes!)...but after all testing came back, she was cleared! YAY!!! Other than swim, we have just been planning parties and enjoying time together around town.

Molly is such a little funny girl! She is almost 1 already! She is quite teh little eater! She loves avocados and pasta but can't really eat carrots these days. She is standing up on her own but not for very long-no walking just yet! She loves playing with her sister and they are just a funny little pair! In the early months when she was born, Alyson was a mean sister just doing anything she could to hurt Molly...now-she can't give her enough love and wants to always make sure she is safe and laughing. It's so heart warming and just what I had hoped for! I think they will grow their bond as sisters, as I have with my own sister. Molly says "Hi", "Dada", "Mama" and babbles a lot more as if she is saying something (but we just can't understand it!)..she baby signs "more", "all done", "tree" and she blows kisses now, too! She hates getting in her car seat, but once in she is just fine..she likes to study things-trying to figure them out which is really cute to watch. She also loves climbing stairs and giving lots of hugs. She finally got her first tooth (bottom) and unfortunately, likes to bite. I think she will be my biter/pincher. :( I'm trying to break that right now!

Mike is busy working really hard. We are actually entertaining the idea of him becoming an owner operator with his company and leasing a truck through them for 3 years I think and then he'll own it and can be out on his own completely. We just feel this will be the only way to really get somewhere. This is the field that he chose and this is the next step. It's scary though because he will be self employed pretty much and it will eventually be a family business.

I have been thinking of getting a job again...but really it wouldn't make sense to go back full time somewhere because of the cost of childcare! And, they would never see either their mom and dad all day every day and I do not want to do that to them-I can't. I want to be a mom and be there for them-I can't imagine leaving them for that long every day. I am still looking, however, for a part time job just to make a little extra $$$ for our family. Haven't found anything yet, but still looking!

Birthdays are coming up-My birthday this coming weekend! Going to see The Brody's (local band I love!) downtown at the free concert in the park on Friday and then Saturday alone with hubby all day!! That's a first in a really long time! hmm...wonder what we should do! Alyson and Molly are going to be well loved staying at Aimee's and Shelbie's :) THen-the next weekend is Molly's 1st birthday party!! Alyson and I have been getting things ready and I can't wait to celebrate!!! Alyson's birthday is in September, but I have been planning it since June (really)..>I just love the kids' birthday parties and want to make it special for her this year (since we will probably have a really small get together next year because our plan is to take her and Molly to Disneyland for their 5th and 2nd birthdays!!)..she is going to have a Dora and Diego Bike party at Safetyville! She is really excited! After that, Mike's birthday (have no idea what to do...but will figure something out! Just need to find the money!).

So, all in all-we have a lot of fun and good things going on. We may not be very good financially, but we are making it somehow and doing the best we can. We are trying to stay positive.

Here is a link to the Shutterfly page I created...scroll down and view the slideshow for July 2009! Some of the pics are from my friend, Lorilee's with her daughter Natalie and Molly...so cute! Molly just kept want to hug her and kiss her (open mouth-I swear that wasn't trying to bite her-that's how she kisses)...it was so fun to watch them! Molly isn't around other babies too often so that was a treat. There is one pic in there that shows Molly holding Alyson's hand in the car while Alyson is sleeping...it was so sweet...Alyson's hand was just hanging there while she was sleeping and MOlly scooted over just enough to reach out and hold her hand..the whole way home (about 20 minutes)...ahhh!! Their are a couple of pics from the Jelly Belly Factory-I took the girls one Tuesday and let me tell you-get there when they open!!! We had to wait over an hour and half in line just to start the tour! But, Alyson had a blast and there were no meltdowns about the waiting-it was more me being irritated (and hurting from carrying Molly that whole time-almost 3 hours on my feet in the Baby Bjorn).

We hope you are having a nice Summer! And, hope to see or hear from you soon!
Love,
The Heath Family

http://heathfam4.shutterfly.com/#

Summer Fun!!!

Just a quick little update on the girls....
Alyson is LOVING Swim lessons!!! She is a little fish! She started in the Polliwog class, learning how to put her head in the water and blow bubbles and such. By the end of the two week session, she graduated to a Tadpole already!!! On her first day of Tadpole, she was going under the water so well and even went down long enough to try to get a ring at her feet-which she didn't do but she was trying! She loves it and I love taking her and watching her progress-it's amazing! Also, out of the blue, she has been writing the letter "A", "H", "M" and "N"!!! On her own-I didn't force her or even encourage it-she just wanted to do it herself and did! She is so funny and really has turned out to be a very sweet sister to Molly these days. All those months that I was going crazy and struggling with her and her agressive behavior-she's turned around and now actually cares for her and doesn't want her to fall or get hurt or whatever. It's heartwarming!

Molly...wow, she is growing so fast!! Yesterday, her first tooth popped through, but today, it looks like it slid back in. I think they do that as they are wriggling out. She is 10 1/2 months old now, says "Hi", "Mama", "Dada" and almost says "Cat". We are working on "Sisi" for big sis Alyson. She can sign "more" and is starting to sign "all done". She also pats my breast when she wants to nurse. She stood all by herself (not holding on) twice, but only for a few seconds before plopping down to the ground. She transfers from one area to another while standing. I predict she will be walking by her 1st birthday, but we'll see. I thought she would do it by 10 months since she was crawling so early (right before 6 months).

Birthdays!! I love planning my kids' parties!! Molly turns 1 on 8/8/09 and we are having a Cupcake party for her at a nearby park. I ordered invitations and bought a Giant Cupcake Pan! So fun!! Alyson turns 4 on 9/19/09 and after I get Molly's party in order, I will work on getting her invitations done...she wanted a Dora and Diego party this year-which is super fun for me as I am planning a little adventure for the kids to do. We are having it at Safetyville-to those not in this area, Safetyville is a mini-town, which real streets and lights and everything-just kid size. Alyson wanted to invite all of her preschool friends, too...so this is perfect. There is plenty of space and the kids bring their bikes and ride those around. SO FUN!!

O.k...that's it for now! Hope everyone is well!! Drop a line sometime! Don't forget to check out the link below-more pics from this month!
Love,
Angel, Mike, Alyson and Molly!!!
www.heathfam4.shutterfly.com

Summer is almost here!

Hello!
We are good here at the Heath house! Alyson is now done with preschool and we have made the decision to not enroll her next year. Not that we didn't love the preschool, but I really want to keep her home with Molly and I and do those fun activities with her-enjoy my time with her before she heads to Elementary school! I am thinking about homeschooling, but definetly have not made up my mind yet. Alyson is excited about the summer and all the fun water play to come! She is enrolled in swim class throughout the summer months every day (M-TH). And, 4th of July coming up and Molly's birthday and her birthday-fun stuff!

Molly is doing great! She is almost 10 months old now (on June 8th) and at her last doctor visit, she weighed in at 19 lbs. 9.4 oz. and was 30 1/4" tall!!!! She is off the charts for height (like 103%) which means that she will be a tall one-doctor says possibly taller than Alyson! WOW!!!! Alyson was already slotted to be about 6'1" tall! WHEW! Molly is climbing stairs now like a pro-standing a lot (but not walking yet) and she has said her first words..."HI" was the official first and "Mama" is the second. I think she's very close to saying "Dada" and "CAT"! She uses one baby sign for "more"...trying to teach her all done (and many others). I am not really nursing anymore-only 2-3 times a day if that and they are not long sessions-maybe like 5 minutes each. Once solid foods were introduced and the bottle (because she would not sleep with just my nursing, so we started supplementing with a bottle), she has lost interest in nursing pretty much. We do it in the morning first thing and then again at night and maybe in the afternoon-but usually not. She's had one little sickness a few weeks ago-got a high fever and diarrhea (like sister) and then right after, broke out in a rash which I'm pretty sure was roseola.

Mike is doing well..working a lot still. He's been home more lately only because work is slow (which isn't good for the paycheck). I am looking maybe for a part time job-doing whatever! But, I have to make it work with childcare and all of that but if I can bring in a little extra money, that would help. We had to break my retirement account-totally did not want to do that but we are struggling to make those ends meet and didn't have any other choice. It was that or file bankruptcy to get rid of this credit card debt (which we pay $600/mo on). I know in the long run, that was a dumb thing to do-but right now, it got us over our hurdle. We had no other alternative. It sucks but I know we will be o.k....just need to work work work. That's all we feel like we ever do. Work!

Mike and I went out on a date last Saturday-first in months! We had sushi and it was kind of a little celebratory dinner-for an early anniversary! 4 years next week (June 4th) and we've almost been together total for 7 years!! WOW!

I started Weight Watchers officially at the beginning of May. Have lost 4.4 lbs. so far (didn't weigh in this week-3rd weigh in-because they were closed on my day). Feel good about it and slow and steady wins the race, right?? I have about 75 lbs. to lose total, so I have a ways to go! I will get there!

Here is a link to some pictures. I've created a little site through Shutterfly now. Dropped Kodak Gallery-was having problems with their site. I hope this one works!
Love to all and happy summer!
Angel :)

http://heathfam4.shutterfly.com/

8 Months and it's SPRING!

A little update...
I'm going crazy. I think really because I can't turn my back for a second (literally) without Alyson doing something to her sister Molly. I don't want to give Alyson a bad wrap here, but out of nowhere and for no good reason, she hits her, pinches her, squeezes her, tries to pick her up and throw her to the side...this is why I'm going out of my mind.

Molly is 8 months old! She has been crawling since just before 6 months and is doing great pulling up to standing position now and balancing pretty well. She's climbed our two flights of stairs all by herself (I was behind her of course)! I couldn't believe it! She eats like you wouldn't believe! She is 18 lbs. now! I'm actually nursing less because I think she's just not getting what she needs from me now. I still nurse her probably 3-4 times a day, but she also gets solids 2-3 times a day and I'm trying a new thing for naps and night time...a bottle!!! Today it worked and i'm hoping tonight she sleeps through better than she has been.

Alyson is 3 1/2 and loves preschool-which will be over for the summer on May 20th. She can spell her name now out loud and she can write the letter A. She draws little face pictures-pretty cute actually-when she is feeling happy or sad or whatever. I ask her to draw how she's feeling when we are having difficulties. It calms her down.

Mike is working hard, as usual. I hate not having him home, but it's keeping me home and that's the sacrifice right now. At least until our debt is paid off-then he won't have to work so hard!

I was working part time, but it didn't work out so I had to quit. I am looking for a little part time job I can do at home-if anyone knows of one!

Here are a link to some new pictures-including ones from Easter! :)

Love to All!
Happy Spring!
Angel, Mike, Alyson and Molly!
http://adobe.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=hdc0iwz.83qajb23&x=0&y=-caxak3&localeid=en_US