Long Lost Friends

Instead of begging God to allow me to go into labor this week I am going to take a different approach. Denial. I am not really pregnant. I am just bloated. I will attempt to control my bloatedness (yes, that is a word MOM!!) through diet this week and by next Monday I will feel much, much better. If not, I will simply have a little "cosmetic surgery" on the 1st to relieve my bloated belly and waddling hips. Stayed tuned for that.

See What I Mean About The Bloated Belly? I Know What You Are Thinking...Is That The ONLY Shirt She Owns? It Is In Every Picture On Her Blog. The Answer Is NOOOOOOOOOOO....It Is Not The Only Shirt That I Own It Just Happens To Be The Only Shirt That Fits!

OK, so enough about that. The last two weekends I have had visits from long lost friends. The first visit was from my very best co-worker / friend / coffee buddy / lunch date / sample house partner-in-crime at CPWM. Her name is Stephanie but I call her Blocker which is actually her maiden name that she has not gotten around to changing after 3 years of marriage. What can I say? The girl is busy. Anyway, she and her husband Scott are moving from northern CA to Louisiana so that Scott can attend law school. On their lovely drive along I-40, they stopped in ABQ to have a quick nap and breakfast. It was so fun to catch up with Blocker and her hubby. And to my surprise we didn't utter a single word about CPWM. Except to remind me that our boss's name was Guido which is Tony's absolutely favorite baby name EVER!

Breakfast at Gold Street Caffe

The next weekend my very best friend from college (and sorority sister) Breanne came through town on their way from CA to TX. They moved to Texas in 2007 against our very sound advice and they actually like it. I know....weird right? Not that Texas is the worst place on Earth, but I have conducted several informal / formal studies and concluded that only people who were actually born in Texas like it. It is my determination that if you are from CA, you are naturally pre-dispositioned to hate Texas. Unless you are the Bullards. Anyway, I digress.
So Bre and the fam came through town last weekend with their adorable two sons Gavin and Elijah. Cienna had a blast playing with them, eating with them and bathing with them. Note to self-Cienna appears to be moving a bit "fast" with boys. She should wait on the bathing part until she at least knows how to pronounce their name. And don't even get me started on the fact that their are two of them and one of her (and they are brothers for God's sakes!) Ahhhh!

Bre and I had a chance to catch up on the last 8 years (on everything that is not posted in our blogs at least) and her husband Mike was able to teach my daughter how to drag a stool over to the pinball machine, turn it on, press start and pull the lever so that she can play by herself. This is AMAZING considering that the pinball machine has been in our house for the last year and half and she was never able to do this before. She actually got to almost 1 million points yesterday AND got a skull lock! (If you don't know what a skull lock is you have obviously not been to my house in the last year and a half. Either that or you are like me and just don't know what it is because they are very hard to get!)

TFJ

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. Cienna started at ABQ Little Gym which is a gymnastics based Gymboree class basically. So we will be saying bye-bye to Gymbo for a few months while we try that out. We have a gopher that is digging up our front yard, the dump truck wouldn't shift out of gear and Tony has been running cadets into the ground. Oh and the dogs are still begging for someone to have enough energy to take them for a walk.

Did Someone Say Walk? Whooohooo!

So that is my little update. Off to start my diet now......
A

Please God....I Am Oh So Ready

I don't have any pictures for this post. I don't even have any real news to share. The only thing that I want to say is that I am OH SO READY to have this baby. I am officially in the uncomfortable stage. I get up 6-7 times a night to go pee and I don't know how that is even possible if I am not drinking water throughout the night. If I sit up my belly has no room to hang. If I lay down I can't breathe. My back hurts when I walk. My arm hurts for no reason. And I cry at least once a day. Sometimes I cry so hard that I can't catch my breath. Seriously. I am over it. Please pray that this baby comes soon!

Cienna Elise Mazotti

As I was sitting on the park bench this evening watching Cienna play, it suddenly dawned on me that I have less than 30 days of being only Cienna's mommy. Soon things will be much, much different for my first born child, the one that my world has revolved around for the last 2 1/2 years. There are so many things that I would love to say to her that I wish that she would understand and remember. But instead of disrupting her play time I will type it out so that one day she will know how I feel at this very moment. Here goes nothing.
- I love you more than words can truly say. And I think that you are the most amazing little person. Every day brings something new and your little phrases crack me up.
- I love how when we are at the park you try to play with everyone, regardless of age, gender or nationality. You say things like "hey guys, wait up!" or "I'm coming!" and sometimes they think you are cute and laugh and sometimes they leave you in the dust. You don't care either way. If you get left behind you simply look for someone else to play with. I hope that you never lose that.
- I love that when music comes on you automatically start to dance. You move your elbows mostly. It is so cute.
- I love when you say "mom, look at that mess!" Or "this is really dirty." You remind me just how similar we are.
- I love when you say to me "Momma, I love you. You are my best friend. You are so beautiful." It melts my heart every time.
- I love when you are having conversations with your imaginary friends. They consist of Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and then two dogs that you have named Henny and Hono. You pretend to walk Henny and Hono and when I try to say hi to the dogs and get them mixed up you always correct me. "No! This is Henny!" It is one of the highlights of my day.
- I love when you ask me to hold you. I know that I will only be able to hold you for so long so I gladly do it. I wish that you would stay little forever.
- I love how you say everything with a french accent. Especially when you say paper (papeh), stroller (strolleh), and baby (babeh.)
- I love when you sing songs you close your eyes and move your head for the long, loud notes. Maybe mom has been singing to much in the car or too much American Idol watching but you have got stage presence girl!
- I love your courage and daredevil attitude. You pick the tallest slide and then go down head first.
- I love that when you know that I am mad at you you say "mom, I wanna make you happy!" and then you do this crazy laugh until I laugh. How did you even come up with that?
- Mostly I love that you are the person that you have become. I could not have asked for a brighter, funnier, or more loving child. I love you so much and I hope that you never change. And I hope that you know how much joy you have brought to my life!
Love,
Mom

Cienna's BFF

Cienna's BFF Brody came to visit this weekend from Lubbock. They first met in Gymboree last year and their relationship took off from there. It didn't hurt that Brody's mom and I think that we are actually sisters separated at birth, so getting the kids together was never hard to do. Last November they moved to Lubbock and every few months we get together to catch up and let the kids pick up bad habits from one another.
Yesterday we started the day at Gymboree and then headed to the fire station. We intended on giving them a ride on the truck but neither one of them was too enthused with that idea. Instead, we got them to pose next to the truck....

We then headed back to the house and made lunch, took naps and got ready for the zoo. We had a ton of fun testing our new double stroller out and watching the gorilla's grab their poop and toss it on the ground. It was so gross!

It was hot, hot, hot in the 95 degree weather and due to my expanding "form" I was dying. I went from looking like I swallowed a basketball to looking like I swallowed a hot air balloon. I am so ready for AJ to be here....

Tony was able to come with us (which is a treat considering even on his days off he is never really off.)

Cienna worked once again on her modeling poses...

And she and Brody continued their blossoming relationship...


It was one great weekend!

Nesting

My pregnancy philosophy this time around has been not to stress over every little detail of every little thing. That was my main reason for not wanting to know the sex of the baby this go round...if I didn't know than I couldn't plan! We were not going to switch over our guest room until after the baby was born and then I would take my time putting it all together and just making it work. My philosophy has changed slightly since finding out that we are having a boy. I immediately gave away all of my girl bedding, clothes, etc to make room for new "stuff." We have had extremely generous friends give us clothes, blankets, and all of our baby bedding, so I have not had to spend money on much. Lucky for us (and our budget) my "peeps" have really good taste!
So about a month ago I mentioned to Tony that we only had around 45 days until the due date and it sent him into a total panic. He immediately devised a plan to disassemble the guest room, paint, lay new carpet and rearrange Cienna's room (complete with new twin trundle bed) so that Anthony Jr. will have a space of his very own when he comes home from the hospital. My mom and Tony's parents purchased Cienna's new bed and mattress for us. My sorority sister Bre designed and created custom letters for the wall. My friend Elizabeth donated all of her baby bedding. And with one trip to Ikea it was complete! (Errr...well except for the new baseboards that are going in but we will just have to overlook that for now!)
Thank you to everyone who made this transition possible by giving us clothes, gift cards, support and ideas. A big THANK YOU to my mom who watched Cienna while we frantically threw everything together last weekend. I can't thank everyone enough. You truly are the best!

AJ's New Pad

Letters Done By Bre At Artzy Alphabets

The Time Out Chair Just Waiting For AJ's Little Behind (Hey..I Know I Am Going To Need It So I Might As Well Have It Ready!)

Cienna's REALLY Big Girl Bed

Wall Art

Traveling Trash Family's Top 10 List

I was inspired to compile this Top 10 list yesterday after an evening hauling job. It never ceases to amaze me what people consider "junk" and pay us to haul away. Funny thing for Tony and I....a lot of the time (and I mean a lot) we come across things that we actually need and or can use in our house. And last night was no exception. We arrived at the hauling job of a lovely woman who was moving to Virgina for the military and because she had missed her "move date" the military was not going to pay for her move. Because of this, she needed to widdle down her stuff so that she could drive it across country. She had a CA King size bed frame that was in immaculate condition that she needed hauled away (among other things.) When I saw it, I could not believe my eyes! It matched our bedroom furniture perfectly! We have the same furniture set that Tony's parents bought for him when he came down to go to school at NM. For the last 8 years we have never gotten around to completing the set by buying a head and foot board. Anyway, to make a long story short, it seems like this happens to us all of the time. Two weeks ago I received a gift card from my friend Jenny for baby "Guido" from Target. I made a list of things that I needed and one of the items was a Graco base for the infant seat for Tony's truck. It would be such a convenience to have a base in each car so when we were on the go we could just click the car seat in and not have to worry about moving the base every time. I suspected it was going to cost about $50. On my way to Target Tony called me and said that he had just finished up a hauling job and wanted me to come and look at what he had before he went to the dump. What was the first thing that I laid eyes on? A Graco car seat and base! I could not believe it. That is just the way things work out for us!
There is a saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." This is my Top 10 list of treasures that we have come across in the hauling business.

#10

The King Size Head & Foot board


Our Existing Furniture Set

#9

An Old Window...Love The Way It Looks!

#8

Oak Gun Cabinet...Tony Helped An Old Lady Move And She Paid Him With The Gun Cabinet!

#7

Grandfather Clock. Tony Did A Hauling Job For These People And What They Didn't Have Hauled Away They Had An Estate Sale For. They Told Tony He Could Have First Pick. We Got The Clock For $500 And Later Found Out It Was Worth $6500!

#6

Tulip Floor Lamp. Same Estate Sale. Paid $40 For The Lamp And $112 To Replace Some Of The Shades. The Store That Replaced The Shades Sells The Same Lamp For $850!

#5

Mirrored Wall Window. Too Cute For Words.

#4

Cedar Toy Box. When We Hauled This Away It Had 3 Legs On It. After Sewing Off The Legs And Adding The Wood Letters To Spell "TOYS" It Is A Gem!

#3

Hurricane Lamp. We Used To Have A Pair Of Them Until Bekens Moving Company Came Along.

#2

Elvira Pin Ball Machine. Tony Cleaned Out A Recording Studio In Dallas And We Got The Pin Ball Machine!

#1

My Absolute Favorite. 2 Glass Piggy Jars Filled With Pennies From The 1950's And Earlier. They Are The Cutest Things That I Have Ever Seen. (Well Besides For Cienna.)

So that is it! My 10 Top hauling job treasures. There are more (I could have done an honorable mention list) but I am off for a bike ride and a movie with the family. Hope that everyone has a great week!

Small Town 4th of July

Friday night we headed up to the cabin to celebrate the 4th of July, South Fork style. It was our first time celebrating the holiday in a small town and it reinforced why we bought a vacation home in South Fork. We are so excited that our children will have the memories that this town will bring summer after summer, year after year. Here is a snapshot of our weekend.....

Waiting For The Parade To Start In Creede


The Beautiful Backdrop


South Fork Celebrity....BeauMeyer.com


Eating Her Loot And Wearing Her Beads

After the parade we went to the South Fork volunteer fire department for their annual catfish fry, which helps raise money for the department. At 2pm, South Fork put on their own parade...this time with rain!


Cienna Riding The Rubber Duck Float With Skylar


One Of The "Local" Jeeps

At 3pm, there was a rubber duck race where a duck could be purchased for $5 and the proceeds are going to be used for new playground equipment in the town.


Catching The Ducks At The Finish Line

After the rubber duck race we headed back to the cabin for naps and then joined Beau, Heather and Skylar for a fabulous dinner of chili dogs and watermelon before heading out to watch the fireworks. Cienna cheered the fireworks on with phrases like "come on, more colors!" and "oh...beautiful colors!" It was her first fireworks show, since she slept through them at Disney World back in April. She was totally in awe.
The next morning we got the raft on the river. 3 hours later we ended up at our destination, and Cienna was dead asleep, sitting up. I wish I had the camera...it was classic!

A couple of other blog-worthy notes / pictures from last weekend:

Tony's UNM teammate, Jarrod, and his adorable wife Danyett and daughter Victoria visited from Houston. Since our daughters are only 3 weeks apart, we always try to get them together so that they can play and we can "compare notes." The girls had a blast....



Having Fun In The Hello Kitty Tent


Tony & Jarrod


One Adorable Family

OK, last picture is of Cienna's "dress up" outfit. I have dedicated a basket to various clothes / accessories that Cienna can put on throughout the day. She likes to put them all on at once instead of just going for a "look." I have tried countless times to explain to her what a look is. I guess at 2 years old putting on everything you own is a "look." Anyway, thought that this picture was too cute not to post!


My Fairy Princess

I also wanted to say RIP to Scratchy Ma, one of my mom's cats. She was put to sleep on Sunday after a very traumatic 4th of July where she was injured while out and about during all of the fireworks. "Brrrring, brrrring" Scratchy Ma. I am gonna miss you! 1998-2009

Zeus Moose, our 1st born, is turning 7 years old today. Happy B-Day Zeusers! We love you!


Zeus The Night We Got Him in 2002 (10 Weeks)


Zeus As An Adult!