To Colorado...And Back Again

The last two weekends have been spent in Colorado at the cabin. Our intention was to go up there for a little relaxation...until we saw that high winds nearly ripped part of our metal roof off. So we spent the rest of the weekend compiling a list of things that we would need to fix the roof, clean the yard, wash the windows and other small projects. After a few quick nights back in ABQ, we headed back up to Colorado last weekend to get some things accomplished.
The highlight of our trip was Cienna's first outdoor potty experience. It is a 4 hour drive, and there are stretches of the trip that are nothing but land as far as the eye can see. Of course it was during one of these stretches that Cienna suddenly said that she had to go potty. We asked her if she could hold it. No dice. So we told her that we would pull over and she could go outside. This greatly confused her, as she could not comprehend "squatting" outside. To make a long story short, she peed like a pro....and then told us every 10 miles that she needed to use the potty outside again. We created a monster. (But I think it made Tony very proud!)


See...He Must Have Been Proud. He Took A Picture!


And Lots Of Pictures Of The Fabulous NM Scenery

We have had a great week in ABQ. Our shed and bathroom remodels are almost complete, the hauling business has picked up, and everyday we take time to thank God for all that we have. Tony has done an amazing job of balancing the fire department, his hauling and recycling responsibilities and family time. We even had a chance to take Cienna bowling for the first time!


The Family That Bowls Together, Stays Together

Today is AJ's 8 month b-day. In the last month he started sitting up on his own and CRAWLING! Now of course you can't stop the kid. He is crawling, sitting up, back to crawling, putting everything in his mouth and his newest "trick" is spitting his food out. Nice. The best part about it is that as your feeding him you don't know if the bite that you are giving him is going to go down the hatch or straight back out at your face. Keeps me on my toes. But I am happy to report that he is more adorable than ever.


Tony (AKA "The Baby Whisperer") with AJ = Man Bonding Time


Showing That He Has Mastered Sitting Up

Last but not least, I just had to share this picture of Cienna. She is now officially dressing herself and all I can say is that she must have gotten her sense of style from the Mazotti side of the family!


My Baby Runway Model

Hope that everyone has a great week!

Organ Donor

Well I am finally feeling like my old self. That is due in large part to the enormous amount of help that I received the last two weeks from my in-laws and my mom. Many, many thank yous to all three of you!
It was so nice to have "night nurses" to get up with AJ, change him and bring him to me. Ahhh...that was the life. I also had my night nurses feeding AJ breakfast, lunch and dinner, taking Cienna to the park and doing my laundry. I need to find another non-essential organ to have removed soon!
On another note, my spirited 3-year old continues to challenge me in new ways. My mom experienced this first hand, when she told me that she did not remember me being so opinionated and stubborn at only 3 years old. I immediately said "I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU SHE WAS MORE SPIRITED THAN MOST! (Ok, I didn't use the word spirited...) NO ONE BELIEVES ME! THEY JUST THINK THAT THIS IS NORMAL!" My mom agreed that she was quite a handful.

Argumentative? Check
Talks With Her Hands? Check
Uses The Word "Flippin" When Describing Things? Check

My mom thinks that she would make a perfect attorney. She has a way of re-phrasing the same question in multiple ways.
Cienna - "Mom, can I have some ice cream?"
Me- "No"
Cienna - "Mom, if I finish all of my dinner do you think that I could have a little dessert?"
Me - "We will see."
Cienna - "I want chocolate ice cream when I finish my dinner."
Me - "No one said that you were getting ice cream if you finished your dinner."
Cienna - "Well, I could have a different treat for dessert. How about chocolate Dippin Dots?"
Me - "Dippin Dots are ice cream!"
Cienna - "No they are not. They are little balls."

And so it goes. This is all day, every day, every conversation.


Notice Where The Stickers Are Missing From?

So now I sit and ask myself...do I need my spleen really? Does anyone happen to need a kidney next week? Because I could REALLY use the help!

Dr. 87104

I am officially gallbladder free! Wednesday morning the last thing that I remember was being told I was getting some "I Don't Care Medicine" and the next thing I knew I was being forced to wake up by a nurse that I wanted to punch in her face. Literally. I kept telling her that I was very angry and didn't want her to talk to me. I am sure that she loved me to pieces. There was only a minor complication during the surgery. Apparently one of the gallstones had already made it's way out of my gallbladder an into my intestine, partially blocking it. They flushed it out and hopefully my stomach issues will soon be solved. Tony arrived with Pops to pick me up. He brought me beautiful flowers. Awww.....



Wednesday night was not fun. I had horrible gas pain in my belly and chest and I no matter how much I walked around or how much water I drank I could not get any relief. I just tried to stay drugged so that I could sleep through the pain. Fortunately for me I had my in-laws and husband there to take care of me and the kids. Being forced to stay in bed was the best!

Thursday. No bueno.

Friday. No bueno.

Saturday. We celebrated Easter a day early because Tony had to leave for the fire station Sunday morning. The Easter bunny brought baskets and eggs for the yard.


The Baskets


Our Little Bunny Cienna


AJ Exhausted After Playing With His New Toys

The fam cooked a fabulous Easter dinner, which we all enjoyed. I enjoyed it until I didn't enjoy it the rest of the evening. It was about this time that I decided that I was never eating again.


Turkey Dinner

Did I mention how fab my in-laws are? My mother-in-law cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, drove Cienna to her various activities, got up with AJ in the middle of the night and rubbed my feet every day. She is my BFF.


Mimi and AJ

And my father-in-law helped Tony build cabinets in our newly expanded "shed" in the backyard. Today, while Tony was at the firehouse, he finished putting doors on our fancy new storage area. It was a LOT of work. Thanks Pops!


Pops And His Masterpiece

Sadly tomorrow the in-laws leave...but my mom arrives to pick up my slack for the next week while I continue the recovery process. I am looking forward to another week of help with the kids, although I fear my foot rubs have definitely come to an end!

Family Pics & Texas Trips

Last weekend I drove to Lubbock, TX to visit my good friend Elizabeth, her husband Don and their adorable son Brody. After packing up the car (and the kids) and getting on the road I realized that I forgot my camera! Oh no! The blog! What am I going to do? So I got on-line and found a photo that pretty much sums up my feeling of good ol' Texas.



Now please don't let that be a reflection of my trip last weekend. I had an absolute blast hanging with EZ, taking the kids to Jump N' Jungle, catching up on reality TV and learning tons of new low-fat recipes. It's just that I continuously run into people in TX who bug me. The ones who think that TX can operate as their own country and believe that every other state in the U.S.A. (or the Union as they like to refer to it as) is beneath them. I love to go rounds with them...and then get in my car and drive back to NM, CO, CA, or any other state that I love.
Now having said all of that, all of my Texan friends are gonna flip out. Calm down. I love you. It's just the crazy, bible-thumping, ignorant ones that I don't like. Trust me, you are excluded.

On another note, we had some family pictures taken at the end of February that finally arrived. All I can say is, LOVE THEM!









Lastly, this will be my final public post. If you would like to continue reading the mishaps and memories of our family, please send me an e-mail letting me know to: alimazotti@yahoo.com. Invites will be sent to all those who have already sent me an e-mail! Thank you for reading!

Going Private

Recently Tony and I invested some major marketing dollars into our company 24-7 Haul, which should (cross your fingers) drive business through search engines on the Internet. Because our names are attached to the business, there is the potential for people googling hauling in Albuquerque to stumble upon our personal blog. It is for this reason that it has been requested by Mrs. Alexis M. that our blog go private and only people "invited" to read it have access to it. This will simply mean that when I have a new post you will need to sign in to read it instead of simply following a link that will take you there.
Having said that, I know that there are potentially readers of my blog that I don't know...friends of friends of friends. I do the same thing with my friend's blogs. So if you would like to continue reading about our memories and mishaps, I welcome you to e-mail me (alimazotti@yahoo.com) with your e-mail address so that I may add it to the list!
As always, thank you for reading and I hope that this change helps to protect our precious memories!

What A Difference A Week Makes!

My prayers were answered last week with my in laws making an "emergency" trip to Albuquerque to save my sanity. Hallelujah! It was so nice to have them run interference with Cienna, playing games, going to the park, and keeping her very busy. At one point I was sitting at the kitchen table feeding AJ and I truly felt like a lady of leisure. My yard work was being done by my father-in-law and my mother-in-law was doing my housecleaning. Now that is what I am talking about! So a big hug and kiss to Gary and Marilou. Thank you so much for everything!


Cienna Learning How To Garden


And Helping!


Papa, Mimi, Cienna and AJ

Another reason that my week was so fab is because my father-in-law helped me start my garden. I have wanted to try growing my own veggies for a few years now but those who know me know that I don't have much of a green thumb. I could kill a cactus. But with a little help and guidance and a lot of encouragement I am confident that my strawberries, basil, cilantro and (soon) tomato plants will thrive!


Strawberries & Sweet Basil

Last night Tony and I got to go out for a much needed date night. After dinner at our favorite Thai food restaurant, we went to see Avitar at the theater. All of the sudden we kicked it into old folks gear. Did we really want to sit in a movie for three hours? I mean, that would get us home at (gasp) 11pm! We couldn't possibly stay out until 11pm. So we decided against the movie. Then we sat in the truck and tried to think of what else we could possibly do that would keep us out past 9pm. Bowling? I didn't have socks on. Hmmm...after 15 minutes of debating we just decided to head home at the very pathetic time of 8:30pm. What a change from our pre-kids days!

As if help with my children, my new garden and a date night with my husband wasn't enough, I got a new car! I finally feel like a mom. It is my version of a minivan and I am thrilled with all of the space that my new car has. And it has my most favorite amenity (no, not a sound proof back seat), heated seats. I seriously don't know what I would do if I couldn't warm my backside every day!


Mom's Taxi Service

Lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me e-mails, phone calls (and even little care packages) with support after my last blog posting. I really appreciate all of the people in my life and each and every one of you are the reason that I feel comfortable enough to share my ups and downs. You all had a hand in turning my week around! Thank you!

Dear Blog, Can You Hear Me?

While I have shared little tidbits of my trials and tribulations as a stay at home mom, I have not felt that it was the proper venue for complaints. Inevitably, there will be someone who reads this who thinks "she doesn't know how lucky she is to get to stay at home with her kids. I have to work. I don't have a choice." All I can say is AT TIMES I do feel like the luckiest girl in the world. But after 2 years there are many, many times I feel mentally and physically exhausted and I struggle to find joy in getting to stay home.
After a particularly hard day today I need someone to listen to me for a change. And my blog is the only one that I can talk to who won't talk back. Here goes nothing. My kids are both sick and sleeping on different schedules, Tony has only been home 2 days in the last week and I don't have anyone to turn to (or at least that is the way that I feel.) Maybe I am not maternal? Maybe my daughter is more "spirited" than most? Maybe this is normal? Anyway you slice it, having a job and letting someone fight some of the battles seems enormously easier than doing this day in and day out. Part of me is so upset that I don't have more patience. Part of me is pissed off that I cannot find joy everyday in raising my kids. Part of me is sad that I gave up a career that I loved. Part of me wonders what would really make me happy? Part of me is sick of constantly questioning myself. Am I giving in on too much stuff? Am I too much of a hard ass? It doesn't seem like anything works. If I say "you can choose this or that" she tells me she wants something else. If I say "do you want to pick out your clothes today?" she tells me no and then tells me that she doesn't want to wear what I pick out. It is so tiring. Even Tony sees the struggles. Last Friday he and Cienna flew to Tucson to pick up his new truck. That evening when they returned she immediately started whining to me and asking me to hold her. Tony couldn't figure it out. It is like a total personality change when I am introduced to the situation. She goes from being happy and independent with dad to needy and clingy with me. I don't get it. And boy does everyone have an opinion. Try this...do that. Believe me, I have tried it all. I have read the books. I not only read the parenting magazines I subscribe to them!
OK, I feel a little better just venting. Tomorrow is another day. I saw a commercial yesterday for a new show called "Parenthood." One of the lines was "becoming a parent is like hitting white water rapids. You don't have any choice but to keep paddling." That is the best advice that I have gotten in a long time. Just keep paddling....
In closing, I wanted to share the top ten things that go through my mind everyday. I am not being cute or funny. This is for real.
1. When will Tony be home? What is his schedule for his day off? Is there any time during his day that I can escape for an hour? (BTW, an hour is not enough time to do anything. Everywhere in ABQ takes 20 minutes to get to. 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back means only 20 minutes doing whatever it is that you went to do.)
2. Should I tell Cienna now that we need to get dressed sometime in the next 20 minutes or wait until the last possible minute to avoid 20 minutes of whining?
3. What should I have for lunch today? What the hell does it matter since I don't get time to eat my lunch anyway?
4. Is that AJ crying? Shit, shit, shit!
5. If Zeus pees on the tile one more time I am going to open the front door and let him run out. (Then I hear a bump in the night and I am so glad that he is with me!)
6. Since when did my free time consist of sitting on the couch folding laundry? That is not free time. Free time would be being able to lay on the couch and watch Real Housewives of Orange County without anyone talking to me!
7. Seriously, how many times can one girl pee to avoid taking a nap? Every 10 minutes this girl needs to squirt a little out. It drives me mad! (And I know what you are thinking...you should be happy that she is finally potty trained!)
8. These are the best years of my life, these are the best years of my life, these are the best years of my life. THESE ARE THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE!
9. Is it wrong to want to pee with the bathroom door shut?
10. OK, just kidding. I have really screwed this up. Can I start over?

Thank you for listening.