Overwhelmed

I have been feeling slightly overwhelmed lately. So I apologize to those of you who actually read this and wonder where I have been. :) There has just been so much going on that sitting down to write it out seems like a gigantic chore... and I don't need any more 'chores' around here.

The main deterrent, in my mind, is that I don't have easy access to my photos! Which is super frustrating to me, since I am so visual I rely on photos to tell my story, not my words. My desktop is having issues with the new wireless router we have, grr. Then, last week after finally locating my card reader from the move, I realized that it was broken! So there is no easy way for me to transfer photos to the desktop or the laptop (the one that actually works on the internet). I have photos in my camera from March that I haven't shared, or edited, or even gone through! I feel like I am falling so far behind in this area :(

May:

-Ami pulled herself up for the first time in early May!

-Moving and unpacking boxes in May, workmen, painters, carpet all happening before that. Oh yeah, and the moving company 'lost' one of our crates initially, but found it and sent it out to us a week after the main move in day.

-We visited a fantastic friend of mine, my college roommate, for a baby shower celebrating her first baby! YAY friends!

-Jeff officially graduated from Tepper with his MBA, and was the only one to wear shorts during the ceremony, you could see the flash of red shorts as he walked across the stage... whoops! But on the good side, he did not pass out from the heat like others were about to.

-My cousins visited and we went garage sale-ing all weekend, I got a BUNCH of great kid toys all for under $100!

June:

-Visited my friend again who is pregnant, just to spend some quality time with her before she has a baby and gets busy with life :) It really was great just to spend time talking and hanging out and getting things ready for baby to come!

-In other news, I turned 30... I know right? 30 feels weird to say.

-Father's day we went on a family bike ride, and I survived! We really didn't go far, but it was nice to do a fun activity as a family.

Then, as some of you who are on Facebook might know, Chase had a seizure three weeks ago. It was the scariest thing that has happened to me since having the kids. We still don't know 'why' it happened, initial ER tests came back normal, blood work on a 2 1/2 year old should be avoided at all costs FYI. Chase actually sat very well for the CAT scan though, and was acting more like himself about 3 hours after it happened. The ER Doc said Chase had an ear infection and was put on Amoxicillin. We have an EEG scheduled to check out his brain next week to make sure he doesn't have any type of Epileptic condition.

Then after the scare of that wore off a bit, 6 days later, he spiked a 102 temp, we were told his ear infection was back, asked how many ear infections this would make... I said this was his first one, and got a strange look. Upped the drugs to a more powerful one and were sent home. A day and a half later Chase broke out in a rash all over his face, legs and arms. We went BACK in to the Peditrician's office, and he got diagnosed with the Hand, Foot, Mouth virus and told not to be around other kids... which was G-R-E-A-T since we already had wonderful company in town with their two kids... FANTASTIC. Welcome to the plague friends!

Luckily our friends were pretty cool about it, considering their kids ended up catching it :( Bad fever for their boy, and slight rashes for both those kiddos... now don't I feel like worlds worst host in the world :( But the quality time we were able to spend together on the worlds longest play date was so amazing!

July:

We celebrated the 4th of July weekend with our friends from out of town and my parents. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful country where we have the freedoms we do. To marry who we wish, to blog our thoughts as we wish, to travel as we wish. Thank you to all those who have served our country and for the families of those who have served. Those people and their family have sacrificed so much for us... Thank you.

Jeff and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary with our friends, my parents and all the kids. Eating crab from the shell, and grilling out on our brand new grill. It was our first 'party' at our house, and the fact that we were casually celebrating the fact that 5 years ago, about 5 miles from our new house we were married. And look how much has happened since then, and how much stronger we are as a couple, and how blessed we are to have two healthy kids. Jeff went all out and got me presents, and even researched that the traditional 5 year anniversary gift is wood. So he searched all over to get me a square wooden bowl.. LOVE IT. And then even went so far as to get me a Bonsai tree! He claims he has no recollection of me saying that I love Bonsai trees and have always wanted one, but it must have stuck in there somewhere, because now I have a gorgeous little tree on my counter :) I seriously need to learn how to care for it though, since it is dropping leaves every day, but I think that might just be from the transplant in to the cool hand made bowl it is planted in... Jeff hand picked the bowl for me too :)

Then last weekend we spent some quality time with old friends from Western Illinois, some of my brother's friends that I knew and got to hang out with in college that now have families, and one of my sisters best friends from college who knows this group of people and also has a family. These people have been getting together for at least three years now, that I know of, every summer at my parents place to catch up. And last year I got to attend since we were living with my parents, and then this year we got a formal invite ;) 11 kids, 12 adults and lots of fun was had last weekend.

As I am sitting here writing, there is just so much to tell and not enough time to write it down... and probably too much information that would bore most people that read this. But here is a little more break down:

Ami is crawling F-A-S-T, and I mean booking it! She could walk if she wanted to, but does not feel steady when she lets go of things and sits to the floor. She will do almost anything to be held, played with and loved on... but will squirm like the dickens to get out of a diaper change, or outfit change... which is why she is just in diapers a lot ;) Ami will eat ANYTHING I put in front of her! She just loves to eat! :) I gave her pieces of homemade organic chicken today and she had two chicken tenders and probably would have eaten more if I had given it to her. At least one of my two kids is a good eater... this certainly will make life a bit easier, and diversify our fridge items! She has this deep belly laugh, but then will screech like a pterodactyl.. not kidding. Ami finally got her two bottom teeth about a month ago. And when she gives her big, squinty-eyed, smile she shows off those two little teeth and a LOT of gums. I just have to get a photo of it before she changes again :) She is 11 months now, oh my... how did she get this old? My baby will be 1 year old in less than a month, and I haven't started planning a party... poor second child. :( But I will make sure she has a yummy smash cake to dive in to... which I imagine she will, the way she likes food.

Chase is acting 100% himself, you would never know he had a seizure. He loves to run, jump off things, climb things and throw things. We have been working on 'learning letters' this past week and he really gets interested now, we will spend about 20min on it before he gets distracted and wants to play something else, which really is a good amount of time for him. We have got most the shapes and colors down for him, but numbers and letters are still a bit confusing. He does often ask, 'What dis say, Mama?' when he notices that a package, book or sign will have writing. His vocabulary is growing every day, and it seems like he keeps dropping those babyish words all the time. I miss how he used to say 'Doing-o?' for 'What are you doing?' and other little things, I try not to correct his speech because I want to hear those cute things for as long as possible... he is growing up too fast. Chase will turn 3 in September... where did the yearS(!!!) go?

Oh well, enough of my writing, this is going on forever. At least I was able to get down most of what has been happening these last few months, and with that I feel better... since I consider this my 'journal' and don't keep a hard copy one, it is like I am allowing myself to forget unless I write these things down.