Hello Again

Often times, I think to myself, "I really need to update that blog of ours." And then, something else comes up and the ol' blog is pushed out of my mind yet again. Maybe it's quite unrealistic to think that people will actually be upset if I don't update it. Nevertheless (I love that word), I feel the need to sit down and give you another update. One of these days, it won't be so much of an update as much as me just blabbing again. That's my goal, anyway.

Baby M isn't quite a baby anymore as she is now 14 months old. Aahhh! How did that happen? I swear one day she was laying on the couch without supervision because she didn't move, and now she can crawl up the stairs and walk away before I tie my shoe. And, I can tie my shoes pretty quickly. So, yes, she is now walking. I always knew it would be fun when she was walking, but I also foresaw (Is that a word? Yes, I just looked it up.) the amount of work that would be involved. Goodness, that little girl is a mover, always has been though. It's easy to see that she loves being able to walk. In the past week, I think she just decided to walk because she knows she can. She'll walk all over Grantie T's living room, kitchen, dining room, etc. Playing on the green couch is almost taking a backseat to walking now. I never thought I'd see the day! M also loves to feed herself (string cheese, anyone?), run with her dad, and play with the kids at day care.

Neither Brett nor I have too much going on besides work. We did; however, buy a house. I can't quite remember if that was on the last blog post. We are hoping to be able to move in at the end of the month. Get this - it has a green house. If you know Brett, you know how happy this makes him.

Puckett is anticipating the move to our new house where he will have much more room to run, wander, explore, get into trouble, etc. It will also be easier to take him on walks as there won't be so many hills. Who am I kidding? The hills aren't the problem. :o)

And, one last thing, I just need to put in a plug for Scentsy. I am still a Scentsy consultant, so if you are intersted in buying for the holidays (they're coming quick) and/or hosting a party (online or otherwise) to get free goods, let me know!

Catch up again

Goodness, I feel like I'm always playing catch up on this blog instead of actually keeping up. July was a busy month though. Yes, I say that even though I was unemployed for all of it! Here's what we've been up to:

Brett has been working as usual, but has also been able to spend some time with the baseball team. What baseball team? Great Falls has an MLB rookie league team here. They are an affiliate of...the White Sox! Yes, I said that. But, since it's not the actual team that plays the Twins, we're okay. I do hate to say that one game Brett had a Sox jacket on though. What kind of loyalty is that? On a positive note, the minor league rehab coordinator was in town last week and invited Brett to spring training next year. Given the option, I'm sure he'll be on the next flight to Arizona. Also, I'm not sure (and too lazy to go back and check) if I blogged about Brett's test. We had moved to Boise so he could complete his sports residency and take his Sports Certified Specialist test. He took the test in March; we found out in June that he passed with flying colors. Good work, Brett! Now, his title is: Brett, PT, MPT, SCS, CSCS.

Mia has been moving and grooving for quite some time now. She had her first birthday at the end of July. Can you believe it? She loves to follow people, smile, laugh, say "Da da," play, and eat. Mia loves mandarine oranges, peas, and macaroni and cheese. She also had her first taste of a cupcake and enjoyed it as well. Currently, Mia is not sleeping well though because she's getting molars! Oh, the nerve of that child! :o) She also took a swimming class in July and loved it! Finally, Mia had another cousin born at the beginning of August. Piper Ann arrived August 4. Congrats, Karmen and Jason!

I spent most of July: praying for a job, taking a swimming class with Mia, playing with Mia, working out, and waiting for Brett and Terry to come home. Alas, I had three interviews last week. Monday was an interview for a public school district, but it was a teaching position at a Hutterite colony outside of GF. Didn't get it; didn't want it. Thursday I had an interview with the Great Falls Public Schools for one of about nine jobs. That afternoon, I had an interview for a position with the Univ. of GF. Long story short - I will be teaching sixth grade...starting next week. I'm really excited, enjoy my teaching partner so far, and am thankful that my prayers were answered.

Last, but not least, is Puckett. He really wants a big yard so he can run around. But, he said he appreciates the family runs we have been taking.

We've Moved (and catch up)

Sorry about the apparent blogging vacation I have taken. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to accompany this either because the camera is packed (somewhere). So, here's the update on our little family. I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.

We are officially residents of Montana. Well, not officially, but we've been here for nearly a month. As soon as we got here, we dropped off a car, unloaded another, and headed out to Brett's parent's place. It was bittersweet that Brett's sister, Suzanne, had emergency gall bladder surgery and had to stay a couple extra days. Lucky for us, we had time to drive out there to visit sweet baby Townes and Noah, too. So fun! We sure wish we could spend more time with them all. :o(

Apparently, I was extremely optimistic about finding a place to live. Many of you know we're staying with Aunt Terry right now. And, while we love staying here, we really don't want to make a habit of it. Sadly though, there aren't many rental properties to speak of. In fact, it's cheaper to buy a place of our own then it is to rent. Bummer! So, we're in the process of checking that out. In the meantime, Mia loves hanging out with Grauntie (is that how you spell it?) Terry and seeing family. Speaking of family, we've been so fortunate to see many of the Ruffatto family members!

Brett is enjoying his job thus far. This is the end of his second week. It was a bit slow to start, and is still a little slower than normal, but things are picking up and everyone has been nice. I haven't been as lucky as I would like to be in the job hunt. I had an interview for a sixth grade position, but didn't get it. I'm just hoping something comes up before the end of August. In the meantime, I have started selling Scentsy, so please let me know if you're interested. Say some prayers for a teaching job, please!

And, what is M doing these days? Boy is she fun! Mia is 11 months old, has five teeth, loves to laugh and smile, and enjoys eating. Really. The girl can choke down more peas, spaghetti, and macaroni than I could have ever imagined. In fact, in the midst of our move, she decided she didn't want her bottle anymore. She would much rather feed herself. Mia likes to crawl around the kitchen, climb on people, and pull herself up on everything though she's hesitant to let go. We (Mia and I) start swim lessons next week. We went for a test run last weekend, and Mia LOVED the water! Quick story: I brought home a yellow and white polkadot swimsuit. It had such cute little ruffles. As you can imagine, it did not get rave reviews from Mia's father. However, we came to the conclusion that the ruffles would slow her down in the water, and we really don't want that. Consequently, Mia has a state-of-the-art, long sleeve, Nike turbo suit.

We don't want to leave out Puckett. He is doing just fine. Puckett is four years old and runs, jumps, and lays around like normal. He can't wait until we have a house so he can run around a bit more.

Stressed?

Wow, there is so much going on right now! Thankfully, my eighth graders graduated, school is out, and now I can move on to other things (i.e., moving). Here's everything you need to know about us right now:

• Today is Brett's last day at work. Whew! I'll keep the other comments off the blog. :o)
  
• We move next week. Aaaahhh!


• I don't have a job yet. Ugh.


• I think I'm going to start selling Scentsy. If you know what it is already, feel free to buy from me in a couple of weeks or so. If you don't know, I'm sure you'll be on my email list.


• Mia has five teeth and the sixth is on its way.


• Puckett has all of his teeth still.


• I won two tickets to a Jewel concert on the radio. I'm addicted to trying to win things even if I know I won't be living in Boise anymore and will need to give them away.


• Mia LOVES her daddy! And, Mia's dad LOVES her!

On the move...literally

As some of you may already know, we have decided to move to Great Falls, MT. There were a lot of factors that went into the decision, but ultimately, we feel like this is the best decision right now. Unfortunately, we've grown quite fond of Boise since we've been here. We have some amazing friends and have had a lot of fun here. Thankfully (and we're still crossing our fingers), we had an offer on our house and are supposed to sign papers in a couple of days. So, in a couple of weeks, we'll be packing up our stuff and heading north. Again, thankfully, we'll be able to spend lots of time with family, especially Aunt Terri and cousin Kim.

What about jobs? Brett will be working in an orthopaedic outpatient setting again. There was a brand new facility opened a couple of months ago, and he's excited about that. As for me, I haven't been quite as lucky yet. I'm hoping to teach again in the fall, but there haven't been any openings. I'm crossing my fingers and praying for that one, too.

Family Photos

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to take some family pictures. I had wanted to take pictures since before Mia was even born, so Brett made sure that we took them right around Mother's Day. I was, and still am, thrilled! I didn't want to spoil it by putting out our favorites, but these are pretty darn cute, too! Mia was such a gem and was completely cooperative. And, thanks to cousin Kristi, she had a cute outfit to wear for pictures. Thanks, Kristi! So, here's our family at the time of the photos - Mia was 9.5 months, and we've been married for 4.5 years.

Going for a hike

Today, we were lucky enough to join some friends on a walk up to Table Rock. We hadn't ever been to the top, so we were excited to be able to go with some friends.

From the top, we can see our subdivision.



Brett carried Mia all the way up and back. Such a happy camper!

Steelheads Hockey

Last year, Brett was "assigned" to help with the Idaho Steelheads hockey team. They are Boise's AA hockey team. Anyway, he would spend many evenings "working" at the games. Eventually, I went with him to check out this whole work deal. Work? Are you kidding me?! Here's how it really works: Brett goes to the game early to do something. Right before the game starts, he goes to sit down. About two minutes before the end of the period, he goes downstairs with the other medical personnel. Repeat during each intermission and the end of the game. Sounds like hard work, right?

Anyway, this season, I decided to go to a couple of games at the beginning of the season. We would take Mia, feed her a bottle before the game started, and she would be fast asleep regardless of how loud it was. The months passed and we continued to go to games, usually when they were home on Friday and Saturday nights. And, lucky us, Mia is a dream during the games.

Here's how it works now: We leave the house around 6 PM. We walk to the arena (see below). Once we're downstairs and get to the zamboni, I take Mia in the backpack and Brett goes to the lockerroom. At this point, Mia and I hang out, walk around the empty arena, and she drinks her bottle. Right before the national anthem, Brett and Ryan, another therapist, appear from the lockerroom. Time to eat! At the beginning of the first period, Brett holds Mia and I feed her. Typically, at the beginning of the second period, Mia goes to sleep. Then, at the middle of the third, she wakes up and is ready to go! End of the game - Brett goes to the lockerroom, and we wait in the hallway. It is much past Mia's bedtime at this point, so as soon as Brett's done we go home. Repeat the next day.

I know this seems like a lot to write, but since Mia has attended roughly 30+ games in her short lifetime, I think it's worth it. By the way, the Steelheads are down two games in the finals right now. We're hoping they win on the road so we can go to at least one more game this season.

Yikes! It's been a whole month?

Wow, I knew it had been awhile since I had blogged, but I hadn't realized it had been an entire month. This was partially due to the fact that our camera had not been charged; therefore, we did not take any pictures. Here's what we've been up to:

Brett - Brett spent a lot of time with Mia because I was coaching all of April. He has also been playing ultimate frisbee on Wednesday's and Sunday's. Other than that, he's been working on keeping all of his plants alive and growing in the house. He has the following in the house: Lemon, lime, banana, pomegranate, tomato, avocado, kiwi, various spices, and blueberry. I don't think it quite looks like a green house, but it's fun to see them grow!

Nichole - I have been coaching at the high school all month. The season wraps up in a week-and-a-half. We have not won a game yet, but they're good kids and have fun. The biggest drawback is that I get home later in the evening on game days so I miss my time with Mia. My eighth graders graduate this month, so I've been busy at school as well. Not to mention, I've had a handful of parents to deal with lately.

Mia - Mia turned nine months at the end of April! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Mia now weights 16 lbs. 9 oz. She enjoys rolling, army crawling, talking, playing with the remote, laughing at Puckett, and smiling. Mia also eats solid foods, holds her bottle, and likes to drink out of her sippie cup. Mia has four teeth now; you can see the top two in one of the pictures. She was also blessed with a new baby cousin, Townes, who is Brett's sister's new baby girl. Mia told me she can't wait to play with Townes soon...and Noah, too.

Puckett - Puckett hasn't been doing anything new lately. It's business as usual for him.

What's New?

The third tooth is officially in! Well, it's not completely in, rather it has just broken through the surface of Mia's gums. We're not sure if it is because of her teeth or not, but the last two days she has also been sticking her tongue out A LOT! We did not teach her that, by the way. We'll try to snap a picture of her with her tongue hanging out. She thinks it's pretty funny!

8 Months

I am eight months old! I can sit up, am learning to scoot, and love to roll around. I like to play with Puckett, chase him with Dad's help, and pull on his lips. Sometimes, I even try to play with his toys and lay in his bed. I love to play peek-a-boo with Dad. You may have seen the video of us playing. How fun! Recently, Mom likes to sit me in the Bumbo seat while she's doing my hair. I always see another little girl in the mirror. She sure is cute! We like to laugh at each other a lot. Besides my regular meals, I've started to try Cheerios and rice cakes, too. They don't taste as good as some other things, but I sure do like playing with them.

24-hour Bug

Tuesday evening, I got home from a softball game and Mia and Brett were sitting on the couch. I was so happy to see both of them. As I picked up Mia, she puked all over herself, me, and the floor. Both Brett and I were in shock for at least a couple of seconds. As I took her over to the sink, the closest place, projectile vomit continued to come out. Nice.

This was our very first encounter with serious vomit, so we weren't quite sure what to do...besides clean it up. With no fever and no crying, we were at a loss. I'm not sure what we would've done even if she was crying and hot. Anyway, she went to sleep only to wake up around 11 P.M. with the same symptom. Brett went to the store to get Pedialite, which Mia wouldn't drink until early morning. Needless to say, by 7 A.M. she was reading to play again.

Fast forward to 10:45 A.M. on Wednesday morning. I called Brett to see if he had taken a lunch to work. (I had stayed home with Mia that day.) He texted back to say that he had just thrown up and would home shortly. After throwing up twice that day, he was able to get back on his feet as well. Whew!

Fast forward again to Thursday. I was anticipating getting sick all day. Consequently, I think I was the one making my stomach ache. We had a game about 35 minutes away. I drove my own vehicle because I wasn't quite sure if I'd get sick or not. Ten minutes before game time I got sick. I drove home, and just barely made it. I, too, had the same short-lived bug Brett and Mia had.

Thankfully, we're all on the up-and-up now. While our stomachs aren't 100% yet, we're getting there. What a long, dreadful week. Hopefully, it will only get better.

Lots of Laughs

Since softball started, Brett picks up M at daycare, and they hang out until I get home. Here's a little taste of what they do. I don't think it gets any cuter! I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband and cute little girl.

Fun for M

Here are a couple of pictures we've taken of Mia in the past couple of days. She's starting to get over her ear infection and is back to her little self.

Puckett is so nice to Mia, even when she pulls his lip, pets him, and puts her foot on his head.

What?! Sitting up is no big deal. Plus, I have my book from Grandma and Grandpa Walker to read while I'm sitting here.

Hello! I'm just eating a banana in this thing. It makes my teeth feel g-o-o-d! My face says it all.

Under the Weather

Mia has encountered her first illness. Two weeks ago, she started with a nasty runny nose and cough. The runny nose has weakened, but the cough is still lingering. Monday night, I woke her up to feed her (yes, we do that) and she was scorching. Brett came downstairs to figure out why she was crying. We took her temperature and got 103 degrees. Honestly, we had no idea what to do. After a horrific cool bath, Tylenol, and a call to the doctor's office, Mia went back to sleep on her dad's shoulder. I stayed home from school yesterday, and today I took her in to the doctor. She has a minor ear infection in one ear and a slight temperature, but I think she'll survive. The good news is that her medication is that yummy pink amoxicillin that I used to just love when I was younger. Don't worry, although I took a good sniff, I did not steal my baby's medicine. (That sounds like it could be a Jerry Springer show.)