THE LARSEN FAMILY!!

Back to Bloggin!

2010-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! It has been like EONS since I posted to my bloggie but I decided its high time that I get back to business. Rox is now 18 months old and Shelby is 4.5 and attending Pages Preschool. Yes, Gary and I still work at the same places so no change there. Our lives are busy busy busy, 2 kids compared to 1 is definitely a change. The kids love each other very much, no lie, they love to hang out and play and rox likes to jump on shelby's back and try to take her down. Its very entertaining to watch! I will post some pics when i can figure out how to do it on my new system!

I'm my own worst enemy

2009-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

It was a rough weekend to say the least. I stuck to the diet, but it was soooo hard. The picture above is my fam eating without me (and yes, they all have piles of cheese on thier food). Shelby was running around eating donuts, pizza, chocolate, pretzels, fruit snacks, goldfish, cookies, cheese, reeses peanut butter cups...Pretty much anything and everything that I cant eat for 2 days straight. My family had my favorite dinner last night, foil dinners. Ugh. Gary also got mad at me for complaining and was like, "quit looking at me like I am doing something wrong, all I am doing is eating food". So, needless to say, I am having a hard time right now. Thank goodness I am back at work, its much easier to do this 500 calorie thing when Im not home with all the yummy food everywhere. I havent been in the best mood lately, which is not normal. I am usually very upbeat and happy and generally fun to be around but for the past few days I have just wanted to be by myself and have been very introverted. I dont think its because of the diet, I think its because I worry about everything else in the world - bills, money, kids, etc. - and Gary hasnt been working even close to the amount of hours he usually banks in the summer time. So of course I start to think of the worse case scenarios. I have come to the realization that when I could eat a bunch of crap everyday I felt better about things, so my way of dealing with things has hit a HUGE wall. I guess I should try to see the good in the situation... I am now at 178 from 186 last Monday! Which is AWESOME! And my clothes are fitting better and I am feeling much healthier. Its amazing what 8 pounds can do, especially when you just spent 9 months pregnant and fat. I am still trying to figure out what the good thing about Gary not working much is...

Could people PLEASE learn the difference between a cold and a serious illness????

2009-08-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, today I am annoyed. I got a call from one of Roxy's daycare teachers yesterday (Im not going to mention any names...ROBIN) and she informed me that Roxy was extremely ill, hadnt slept all day and wasnt eating. I told her to give him some FREAKIN tylenol and I would call the doctor. SOO I make an appointment for Roxy to see Ryan (Evans) at 5:30pm and run my butt over to daycare and almost die of heat exhaustion to get the kids to Kaysville before 5:30. AND COME TO FIND OUT....Roxy is TOTALLY fine. I'm not just saying that he was "ok", he was FINE with a bit of a runny nose. UGH. 25 bucks down the drain and a shiz load of stress that was totally unwarranted. If theres anything I learned from my 1st kid, its that you dont run to the dang doctor for every little sniffle because 99 percent of the time is a virus. FREAKIN ROBIN. Oh and an update on the weight loss - - - - Lost 7 pounds so far this week. BOOYAH.

2 more!

2009-08-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Well I got on the scale this morning and was down to 182!!! This is getting hard, I have to admit! Gary and Shelby are eating like kings so its hard to be in a house with so much good food that I cant eat. Yesterday I ate pretty much the same thing that I ate Monday but I ate steak for both lunch and dinner, which I loved! I was way hungry last night so I downed 2 bottles of water and I was good to go! I also ate a large salad for dinner and I found some awesome salad spritzers at Albertsons made by wishbone. They have 1 calorie per spray and are rather tasty! Im gonna keep doing this, I feel great seeing the change everyday!

Lost 2 pounds!!

2009-08-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It was somewhat of a rough day yesterday, I am not used to having to eat like 6 times a day. My old habits included not eating hardly anything during the day and then having a large dinner, which clearly was not working for my metabolism. Yesterday was technically day 3 of the hCG shots but day 1 of VLCD. Here's a breakdown of what I ate:

8am- apple

10am - melba toast

1:30pm - green beans and 3 oz chicken

5pm - half an apple

7:30pm - 3 oz ribeye steak and green beans

water intake= approx 1 gallon throughout the day

I was super tired at the end of the day and went to bed at 8:30pm, havent been able to do that in forever! Just a few things that I noticed in my first day: I had to pee all day long, and I mean ALL day. After doing some extensive research on hCG I found that people out there had the best results when they drank as much water as they possibly could (ideally 1 gallon). There were times throughout the day that I got those cravings for food, mainly when I saw someone else eating (no thanks to Gary for eating a crap load of lasagna in front of me). In order to curb the hunger I drank more water and it made me feel much better. I was also given a tip by my aunt: make sure you are getting sufficient fiber so that you dont get constipated. I have those little packets of benefiber that dissolve in water. They are tasteless and colorless, you dont even know they are in your water at all! I slept well last night and woke up feeling a bit hungry this morning. I ate an apple and then was good to go. I weighed myself this morning and could not believe my eyes! I am down to 184!!!!!!!!! Although this is going to be hard (especially since I live with people that eat very yummy things) I am going to stick with it, I am ready to feel good again! Thanks for all the support out there!

HCG starts today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are not familiar with hCG, I will provide a short explanation: When you get pregnant your body creates a hormone called hCG which allows your fat cells to open up and suck in as much food as possible. This is the storage used to feed the baby for the 9 month period. On the hCG diet you inject the hormone into your body or place drops of the hormone under your tongue for a period of 23-40 days. For the first 3 to 5 weeks you eat a VLCD or very low calorie diet of 500 calories. This diet is very strict and allows for specific portions of food and excludes sugar, carbs and fat. While you are on this VLCD you need to drink TONS of water. What happens is your body lives off of the fat cells tha hCG opens up so you are not hungry and lose weight SUPER fast. You lose an average of 2-3 pounds a day if you stick to the VLCD and take the shots daily!! SOOOOO I started the shots on Saturday and for the first 2 days you eat what you want to get some fat in your body and get ready for the VLCD. Tomorrow I will not be able to eat anything but whats on my list. My current weight is 186, my goal weight is 160. I CAN DO THIS!!!! Stay tuned for a daily update on what I am eating and how much I'm losing...

2009-03-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Rox Tate Larsen
Born March 11, 2009
6 pounds 9 oz
19 inches

Welcome to the world Rox!

2009-03-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Rox was born at 9:39 am on March 11th! He had somewhat of a complicated birth as he aspirated amniotic fluid and his cord was around his neck when they pulled him out with the vacuum extractor. He was not breathing well and was admitted to the NICU where he was intubated and placed on meds for secretions. He didnt like the intubation much and yanked it out on Wednesday night. He was breathing well by that time so the docs decided to leave it out and get him healthy and ready to go home. He spent 3 days in the NICU and came home on Saturday March 14. He is a very well behaved baby, doesnt cry much and when he does its very quiet. He eats every 3 hours and gets up 2 times a night. Shelby isnt such a huge fan of her little brother yet, she is definitly not used to sharing the spotlight. I started back to work on March 23 and am taking little Rox with me until he is old enough to start daycare at Shelby's school. Luckily he is very good at the office, not many people even know he is here and he sleeps for the majority of the day. Shelby is glad to be back at school, she missed her friends and her routine, as did I ;) Things are going well at the Larsen homestead and we are so happy to have Rox with us!

Its Time!!

2009-03-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well folks, it looks as if the time has come for me to say goodbye to my HUGE belly and hello to my baby boy. I must admit, its kind of sad that I wont be trucking him all over the place with me and he wont be a silent force anymore. This picture is probably the last one that will be taken of a pregnant me in this lifetime so suck it up ;) My family and my life will change forever tomorrow night - which is a great thing but scary in and of itself. I will post pics of new baby Rox when he gets here, wish me luck!

2009-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for Rox!!!

2009-02-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

We are currently in the process of getting the house ready for little Rox, since he is due in under 8 weeks! Shelby has been doing lots of artwork all over the house and so in an effort to curb this habbit, I found tub crayons at Walmart and am trying to train her to only color on the tubby. Shockingly, this is not an overly successful method. We thought that all of the crayons were out of her possession but that little stinker has stashes of hidden writing materials all over the house. She also does her wall art in inconspicuous locations, such as behind door and curtains. We had to put a lock on the midget door between Rox's and her room because she has been decorting his walls also. The smart little bugger somehow jimmied the lock open and got into the room anyway. I havent even figured out how she did it, remains a mystery. We put up the crib, took out all of the toys, put up shelves for the Mr Potato Head collection that Gary has started for Rox and bought a crib mattress with sheets. I am getting more excited as the days pass, but I am a little worried about the baby being born. Its easy when they are inside the tummy. They dont cry, they eat what you eat, no diapers to change, no baths to give and no reason to get mad at the husband for his lack of baby attention (or should i say my perception of his lack of attention). I am trying to get ahead at work so that the time off after the baby is born isnt so stressful, this never works. Maybe I should be focusing on more positive things - like not being freakin fat anymore ;) Yeah right, easier said than done!!!

Exhausted!!

2009-01-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

I now have 85 days left until the new baby is here. All I can say is that I am exhausted and so is the rest of my family. Lately I cannot sleep whether its due to being way uncomfortable, having to pee every hour or having insane nightmares/dreams. I think that Christmas and New Years took everything I had left and now there is no more energy. Shelby continues to amaze me every day. She told me that the baby was in Wall-E. The reason that she thinks this is because Wall-E sounds like Belly and we keep telling her the baby is in the belly. Its hillarious to hear her say that the baby is in Wall-E, she truly thinks this is the case and will go get her Wall-E robot and show us. Her newest word is "licious", as in "that choclut is licious". Not everything she eats gets this type of praise, thats for sure. She is also one of the best mess makers known to man. It takes her a matter of minutes to empty every single toy bin in her room, its impressive to say the least. My discipline skills as a mother have drastically gone down hill in the last month. When Shelby is naughty, I really dont care. In all honesty, I dont have the energy to do anything about it, not to mention that if I do get mad I just have to console the child anyway and thats a pain. If she does something really bad I just call Gary upstairs and he takes care of it - terrible parenting, I know, but I just cant do much more right now. I hope everyone had a good Holiday season, my next blog probably wont be until I am ready to pop this kid out and may not be the most positive thing to read ;)

Hello new baby boy!!!

2008-11-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Shelby is super excited about our new addition!! We just had the ultrasound yesterday and found out that it is "definitly a boy" (as the doctor stated). I wasnt sure how to take this news because I am dreading having to buy all new clothing for our last child. Shelby currently has 15 bins of clothes packed into the basement and she isnt even 3 yet. I am also scared of boy parts, havent ever had to deal with them ;) Shelby is calling the baby "my baby" and I think she kind of gets it that I have a baby in my belly. Gary gave his usual response to the news, "I said it was going to be a boy so I am not surprised" - even though he had no idea. Its going to be fun to start buying boy toys, heaven knows he doesnt want to play with all of Shelb's Disney Princess crap. We have decided on a name that could still be changed, Rox Tate Larsen. I think it is awesome, not a normal everyday name for sure and one that represents some very successful people. We were trying to get Shelb to say Rox last night but what came out sounded more like the F word than anything else ;) Yay for babies!!

My toddler

2008-10-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Shelby has recently become extremely posessive of EVERYTHING. Today at school she took over a huge pumpkin and decided that it was her pumpkin. She didnt want anyone to touch the pumpkin, look at the pumpkin, talk about the pumpkin or hug the pumpkin. She started yelling and crying because she was so upset at the other kids. I asked her teacher if this happens a lot. She said, "it happens more than it doesnt". Apparently Shelb has a major problem with sharing, hopefully the fetus will help her with this. I asked the director if Shelb's behavior is normal, she told me that its just a stage. Lately everything is Shelby's. "my mommy, my puppy, my bed, my bread, my nilk, my tv, my baby, my blankie, my bottle, my car, my daddy, my lin, my kylo, my apple, my pumpkin, my nana" and on and on. Why are toddlers so narcissistic? I dont remember acting like Shelb when I was 2 ;)

sad news

2008-10-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Shelby's face last wednesday says it all. We found out that Gary's mom had passed away at 3am that morning. The stroke that she had suffered was too massive and damaging to come back from and her heart and body could just not heal. I have not cried this hard in 11 years, since the death of my dad. DeeAnn was a mother to me above all things and she loved Gary and I no matter what the circumstances. She was so very proud of her granddaughter, Shelby, and begged us to visit more often. Now more than ever, I wish we had. Her death was so unexpected and such a shock to all of us. Although Shelby is only 2 and a half, she knew what happened and she cried all week. Whenever she saw me crying she ran to the bathroom and brought back a roll of toilet paper to wipe my eyes with. She hugged me and kissed me and asked me what was wrong. Gary hasnt spoken much about the passing of his mom but he is hurting very much. The support and love from our ward, friends and family has been very much appreciated. DeeAnn was a mother, friend, wife, sister and grandmother that will be sorely missed.

I don't know what to say

2008-10-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night Gary and I recieved a phone call stating that Gary's mom, DeAnn, had been rushed to the hospital after falling in the house shortly after returning from a trip to California. We were told that she was unable to move and unable to speak. We waited for more news and ended up going to the hospital at 1am to see her. The outlook, we were told, was grim as she had suffered a stroke due to an occluded artery in the base of the brain. CT and MRI scans showed that her right hemisphere was mostly dead due to the lack of oxygen. She was also found to be a diabetic and heart tests showed a weakened cardiovascular system. Surgery was not an option as her combination of health problems precluded any intervention at the time. She was responsive to us on Sunday night, however, on Monday afternoon she was much less aware of things. Her eyes are closed and she is on oxygen. She will squeeze your hand if you tell her to, but cannot respond in any other way. The prognosis at this point is poor and it looks like we all just have to wait and see what happens. In the event that she comes out of this, she will be paralyzed on the left side and much less cognizant than she was. She probably wont be able to talk and possibly wont be able to open her eyes. Gary's family, friends, and anyone who has ever had the pleasure of knowing DeAnn is devastated by this unfortunate turn of events. I really don't know what to say at this point in time. It is so hard to see everyone so very upset and heartbroken that we may lose one of the most giving, caring and wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure to know. DeAnn has always been so loving and unconditional to me, it already feels like a huge loss. Losing a parent is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my life. The pain and emptyness that you feel in their absence is inexplainable. Please keep DeAnn and her family in your prayers,
Jackie.

The hitting problem

2008-10-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today when I dropped Shelby off at school her teacher pulled me aside and told me that Shelby has a problem with hitting other kids. Its not just a once a day thing, she apparently does it ALL the time. Over the weekend she smacked gary in the face and tried to claw out his eyeball so I can't say that I am surprised by this. The problem seems to be that she struggles communicating with us due to her language skills which are still developing. She must feel the same frustration at school with the kids that are her age - they are able to talk in sentences. I think that its due to all of her ear infections as a baby into year 1. I asked the teacher what I should do about it and she told me not to laugh when she does it. Ok, anybody that knows me knows that I have a hard time not laughing about everything. I am also supposed to hold her arms down and tell her "no" while making eye contact. I am sorry, but I just dont see this working. The little pill just smiles at me and runs away. I think she knows she is doing something that she isnt supposed to do but she is getting a reaction - whether good or bad - and she likes the attention. Gary and I are going to have to make a concerted effort to stop her hitting because I dont like getting talked to at school by the teacher, it sucks.

Feed that Fetus!!

2008-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well another fiscal year is coming to an end and as we say around this time, "happy new year!". I have been working my b-u-t-t off and am SICK of working to say the least. When I get my bonus next month it will be going into savings so that I can take off a measly 2 months for maternity leave. Sometimes being a working mom sucks, but I like the time to myself and I feel like Shelby is learning so much at school that I would be too lazy to teach her at home. I have been feeling rather crappy this week. I think its the stress from work, they hound us in the end of the fiscal year and all I can think about is my production numbers. We built a deck last weekend and are finishing the back yard in the mext 2 weeks so I have been busy at home also. Hopefully I get a picture of the fetus sometime soon so that I can post it on here. I will update on Shelby later!

I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you!!

2008-09-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Little Pony Pictures are here!! Shelby had her picture taken with a pony at school and does every year. Last year she was deathly afraid of the pony and wouldnt get on. This year she was seriously stoked about the pony and didnt want to get off. There are 3 different poses, this is the close up that my phone didnt make look totally blurry. You can see the pony in the other 2 and she has pigtails in one of them and not the hat. I bought the negatives so that I can have copies made. If anyone would like to put in a request, I will do my best to get them to you by Christmas ;) I cant even begin to explain how proud I am of these pictures!! My shelb is so photogenic and gave a nice big smile for all of us. Love you shelby!!

Legacy AWESOME-way!!!!

2008-09-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

So on Monday evening after a really really crappy day at work I hit the road at about 5:45 to head home. I got on I-15 from Beck Street and expected traffic to suck as it has for the past 4 years. To my surprise, I flew through Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington with no problem and at a consistent speed of 65-70 mph! This morning it took me longer to get to work

than it took me to get home on Monday! I have not gotten home from SLC in 45 mins for 4 years, since I started working out here. I saw a story on the news last night about all the dead raccoons on the Legacy parkway and I think its worth the dead animals, that may sound bad but I'm not an environmentalist or anything ;) They also said that with less raccoons there will be more birds that can survive in the "wetlands" - so I guess its a catch 22 depending on if you like raccons or birds. I personally dont really care for either of them because one of them steals your food when you are camping and the other one craps on your clean car. I love the legacy!!! It has already improved my relationship with shelby lyn because by the time we get home she isnt tired and mad like usual. Yay!!

happy birthday to mwah!!

2008-09-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, I have been getting questions lately as to what I am doing for my b-day and if I am having a party or whatnot. To answer all yers questions: no party, no whatnot. I am very depressed about turning...brace yourself....28 years of age. Maybe its the overload of progesterone, maybe its the fatness that I feel like everyday, maybe its the super fatigue that has smitten me. Not sure why but I'm def not excited about my b-day this year. Usually bdays are cool and I get way stoked about them, not so this time around. Gary has to work tomorrow on my bday night, which makes me want to ignore the bday anyways. Thanks to all of you that have said sweet things for my bday and special shout out to Lyn/Kyle for the Juno CD and trav/dani for the kickA card and andes mints! All presents are preciated!

SKELETOR BABY!!!

2008-09-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is the baby's face that you can see in the above picture. Looks like a baby skeletor from castle grayskull! My doctor thought it was the funniest picture ever so she printed me one out and I scanned it into my computer. Although its kind of creepy, I cant stop looking at it! I put it on my phone as the wallpaper and Shelby was royally ticked that her picture wasnt on there anymore. I have recently been thinking about this new child and wondering if I will be able to love it as much as I love my Shelb. I love to spoil her and dress her cute and primp her hair, hopefully I will be the same with skeletor ;)

The big girl bike!!

2008-09-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well shelby is officially 2 and a half now and is such a cute little girl! We decided it was high time we bought her a trike so we trucked on over to Walmart to check out the goods. Shelby sat on about ten different trikes until she settled on the good old Radio Flyer - pink and purple and a beautiful piece of work! As you can see from the pictures she hasnt quite gotten the hang of it yet, maybe its because her legs are short. She had lots of fun pushing it around the driveway instead of riding it. The newest addition to the Shelby vocabulary is, "oh gosh". I am not sure where she got it but its the cutest thing in the world to hear. Shelby has also started playing the piano daily and singing right along with her made up tunes. She flips through the hymn book and acts like she is playing every page, its quite entertaining. Now that the weather has cooled off a bit I am going outside later at night and taking the shelb on walks. Its so nice to get out of the house, it has been one heck of a hot summer! To update you all on the fetus, it is doing well and not making me as sick as it was a few weeks ago. I still struggle with how much to eat before I feel like crap. I am also finding that a few sips of Dr Pepper every half our or so makes my tummy feel much better. For all of you that want to lecture me on drinking caffeine while pregnant, I really dont care right now. I didnt drink anything but water with Shelby and she is still crazy and off the wall. I am just doing what the fetus tells me to ;)

getting better!!

2008-08-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I have been feeling rather bad for myself and have had a rather bad attitude about being pregnant. I was SO happy when I found out that we were expecting, that only lasted about a week though. The nausea set in, the puking began and the extreme fatigue started to take over my life. I have somewhat of a recollection of this happening last time, although it started much earlier and was much worse. I have been stewing for the past few weeks about the meaning of life. I have been asking myself, "I go to work, I come home and I go to bed. Then I do it all again the next day. Whats the point?". I know, super bad attitude. This week I came into work to find a sign taped to my computer screen that was basically a word of advice from my friends to buck up. Of course I was annoyed at first but then began to realize that I am taking this much to seriously. The meaning of life is whatever we make it!!! The answer came to me today! My growing fetus and my 2 year old child are unique and special individuals that will only be conceived and born ONE time! They will only live this life ONE time! Its my responsibility (and one I should be grateful for) to raise them the best I can so that they can experience what life is all about. I imagine that one day my little Shelby will come to me when she is 9 weeks pregnant and sick as a dog and ask me "what is the meaning of life?". And I will say to her, "you are the meaning of life, my children are the meaning of life". And hopefully with that answer the puking and the nausea will seem insignificant, if only for a moment. I have gotten way to wrapped up in how I feel lately, which may be hormonal, and have forgotten that this is an experience I should treasure. As long as I have people that support me and tell me everything will be alright, I will believe it ;)

The bullshiz BMI chart!

2008-08-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

pregorexia...

2008-08-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

For about the last week I have been stewing about something that my FNP said to me on my first prenatal visit. She said, "just so you know, you only have about 5 or 10 pounds left to gain with this pregnancy so you should probably start exercising or something." I was stunned! As I sat there in disbelief I thought to myself, "what the crap does she know?". Apparently on the bullshiz BMI chart I am in the overweight category- barely. I lost a ton of weight this year, I was down to 155 just one month ago when I found out I was carrying my 2nd little bundle of joy. I have not done anything differently, I have exercised and eaten well, I am just getting a little bit fluffier is all. I told my friend about this bad experience and she sent me an email about "pregorexia". Go ahead and google it my friends, it is real. The definition is something like caring too much about your weight and physical image more than your growing fetus to the level that you actually cause your child malnutrition and low birth weight. Clearly this is a mental thing that carries over to a physical problem. Now I am not professing to be a skinny little prego girl but I certainly dont think of myself as a fatty patty either. I care about my child getting nourishment and therefore I eat 6 small meals a day and drink TONS of water. If that causes me to be in the overweight category then so be it, I would rather have a healthy child and lose the weight later, which I know I can do because I have done it. I took a sideview pic of myself today so that you could all see my "overweight" and hot bod! LMK what you think about my FNP's comment!

bad reflexes

2008-08-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I have to tell a quick and somewhat funny story of my life since finding out I am pregnant. Last week I ran into the post at work twice. Not once but TWICE. Yes, I was in my new car and did some damage to the back passenger wheel well. I do not know what my deal is, I blame bad reflexes due to pregnancy. Also, I have noticed lately that drivers are a bit more edgy than usual. Maybe its my black tinted windows or my ability to sneak into small crevices, but people seem to be getting really mad at me lately when I am driving. This morning I was trying to get off of the 4th south exit which requires a rather quick lane change and a lot of ground to cover in a small amount of time. I saw an opening and I sped up to take it. The biotch in the car in front of me slammed on her brakes, apparently in an attempt to not let me over. I am not even sure why she did this because she got in the other lane and didnt even take the exit. When we were even with one another (she slowed down significantly to be able to be next to me) she flailed her arms all over and yelled directly at me. I dont want to know what she said but it really caught me off guard and I cant figure out why she is all of the sudden a traffic nazi. I am only bothered by this because I could have run into the back of her causing a major pile up thanks to her idiotic driving - my reflexes suck and I have a 2 year old in the car. Just because my windows are tinted does not mean that I am a single, non pregnant person with no kids in the car. It just means that my child is extremely white and absolutely hates the sun to hit her at all - thus my investment in tinting. I guess that the reason for this post is for me to vent a little bit and remind everyone that we should all drive defensively - we never know if there are kids in the car. I dont know about you, but I dont want to be responsible for a child dying because I decide to be a jerk driver one day.

life and death in the larsen family

2008-07-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, thought I would update you all on the above title of this blog entry. Gary and I found out last week that we will be welcoming our second child into this world around April 1, 2009! We were so stoked about this news and have been waiting for this for months. Yes, it was totally planned and we are so excited! In the event that we have a boy this will more than likely be the conclusion of the Gary/Jackie clan. In the event that we have a girl there is a possibility that we may try one more time for a boy in a few years. Last Thursday we received a phone call letting us know that Gary's grandpa Hadley had passed away. This news was bittersweet as we all knew how badly he wanted to be with his wife that passed away in a car crash in 1996. Grandpa Hadley blessed all of our lives and we will miss him but we know that he is finally happy and free from the cares of this world. The funeral was a good reminder to me of how to treat our spouses and children. It is of the utmost importance that we let our families know how much we love and value them in our time with them on this earth. We do not know when we will be called back to heaven so we must make the most of everyday we are given. I like to think of death as a gorgeous sunset. The sun will set on our lives but it is a beautiful thing and no one sunset is the same. Although the sun will set on our lives, the sun will rise in our children's lives - watch the Lion King, it does a great analogy of this. Thanks to all friends and family and for all the support and prayers, we love you all and hope to see you next spring when we welcome little Tate/Tatum into our lives!

THE BIG GIRL BED!!

2008-07-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

The shelb has graduated from her crib to the big girl bed!! Yay for Shelby!!

bonk!

2008-07-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

LAST THRUSDAY WE TOOK A LITTLE TRIP TO THE DINOSAUR PARK IN OGDEN. WE WALKED AROUND, BOUGHT A 30 FREAKIN DOLLAR DINOSAUR, MET SOME MASSIVE AND MEAN LOOKING DINOSAURS AND ATE DINO DOGS. WE DECIDED TO WRAP UP THE EXPERIENCE BY GOING TO THE DINO PLAYGROUND. SHELBY HAD TONS OF FUN GOING UP AND DOWN THE SLIDES AND CLIMBING ON ALL THE DINOSAURS. WE WERE SITTING WATCHING SHELB GO DOWN THE STEPS OF THE PLAYGROUND AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN SHE JUST FACE PLANTED ON THE STEPS. SHE SCREAMED LIKE I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE! HER HEAD HAS FINALLY BECOME THAT GREENY PURPLE COLOR AND I'VE BEEN GETTING SOME LOOKS FROM PEOPLE. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION - I DO NOT BEAT MY CHILD ;) IF ANYTHING, SHE BEATS ON ME...AND GARY...AND PROBABLY SOME OF THE KIDS AT SCHOOL.

My shelb

2008-06-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

summer, sweet summer

2008-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

sunset at the pond

2008-06-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Shelby, Lyndee and I visited the duck pond last night. We got attacked by 2 rather large families of geese wanting our bread. Shelby was so daring, she walked right up to the edge of the pond to get closer to the ducks and geese. I love to spend time with her, even if it means that she stays up late ;) She's so much fun to be with, I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have her.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at school Shelby learned about daddy's and things that they do. She learned about face shaving (which is actually something she has never seen Gary do since he has had a beard since she was born). When we got home last night she decided to try out her new skill in the tub. Dont worry, there is no blade in the razor (I know there are people freaking out)! She did a pretty spiffy job I must say! Happy father's day daddy, we love you!

SHELBY WAN KENOBI

2008-06-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, the latest and greatest blog update is now here. Shelby is obsessed with her orange towel and really anything orange in general. She will not take it off after she gets out of the tub or shower and walks around looking like ObiWan Kenobi. I think she is doing little Jedi mind tricks on me, actually I know she is...sneaky little thing. Also, whenever she is in the vicinity of a camera lately she does this huge cheese face like you can see in the pic. Its freakin funny! Oh, and speaking of the orange obsession that we have going on, I found an orange matchbox car in her bed (crib) the other morning - she was laying on top of it. How she got it in there without me knowing it is beyond my comprehension, its those jedi mind tricks I tell ya. Anyway, work sucks as usual, I have been in trainings this week that have almost bored me to death. Gary injured his back and so has been in lots of pain and not very fun to be around. Its affecting his work also, so that sucks. At least I know that at 5pm every day Shelby will be stoked to see me, I look forward to that ;)

Ugh work.

2008-06-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday, boring Thursday. I am sitting in my office being totally bored even though I have TONS of work that needs to be done. I was off yesterday (took a mental health day) and so now I am just not in the working mood. I had to blur the pic of my office a little for confidentiality reasons. I look a little pissy but thats just my normal look ;) I'm so glad tomorry is Friday, I'm sick of being at work this week.

Current Pics!!!!!

2008-05-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Shelby was completely enthralled with the Blues Clues movie she was watching on the long drive home from SLC. Dont worry, she snapped out of it and we played in her pool when we got home! Just want everyone to know that i have lost 35 pounds since Shelby was born!! Woot woot!! I'm very proud of myself, I go to the gym 2-3 times a week!! If you are wondering why there are no pictures of Gary on here recently that is because he is a butt and wont let me take his picture - like are we in junior high or what?? ;)

Memorial Day Tribute to Daddy

2008-05-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day has historically been a bad day for me. This year was a little different because my family has changed so much. My little Shelby is now over 2 and her big blue eyes remind me of him everyday. She carries his picture around the house and seems to know what I am talking about when I say his name. Its amazing how close children are to the spirit world. We visited the cemetary like we do every year and took pictures, they will be posted as soon as I pull them off my camera. This year Memorial Day brought a new perspective to my life. I realized that I needed to step back and look at "the big picture", meaning that I needed to think of every day as if it were my last. The song that best describes how I felt is Tim McGraw's "Live like you were dying". I also heard Reba's "The greatest man I never knew" and this brought me to tears thinking of how my dad worked up until the day he died. Oh how I wish I could have one more day on this earth with him, but since that is not possible I have started to make an effort to mend my relationships so that in the event that I leave early, things will be in order. Once someone you dearly love in your life dies you gain a new perspective as to what is most important in life, it has taken me 10 years and I continue to learn every day. My anger at him for leaving has changed to a feeling of happiness that he does not have to be a part of this evil world that continues to get worse and worse. I read a scripture the other day that stated something to the effect that the spirits of the spirit world are around us, they feel our pain, they feel our sadness and see our mistakes and they wait and hope for us to be happy. I know this is true, I have felt my dad although I have never seen him as a spirit. Knowing that he is with me, along with others I have lost along the way, brings peace to me. Give those you love a hug and tell them how much they mean to you, they may be gone tomorrow and you will have lost your chance in this life. - Jackie

OH MY CRAP! ITS BEEN 2 YEARS!

2008-05-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well it appears that i have not posted to my freaking awesome and terribly popular blog for 2 years now. Kids can make time fly by, seriously. I'm just going to post a quick update for those that i havent seen in awhile. Shelby turned 2 in March, we remodeled our house, gary got his long awaited 65 inch flatscreen, i got a new car, we are planning to get pregnant this summer with child #2 - which will be the last of the Jackie/Gary clan. We already have the name whether its a boy or girl - Tate! I still work for SSA doing disability claims, Gary still works for Greene's Inc cutting concrete and Shelby still goes to the fabulous YWCA Lollie Eccles daycare where she is now learning chemistry 2010 and pre med courses. We are very happy in our own little Larsen world. We dont leave the house much, mainly for groceries or I take shelby to the duck pond for a bike ride. We love our life, no complaints at this time! More posts to come...

babies change people, its true

2006-05-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

A baby can change a lot of things in life. Its funny how people that you have never talked to or dont even know suddenly want to see your baby and ask like 500 questions about them. Babies also bring families closer. Whenever we go to a family activity lately we are the most popular people there because everybody wants to see and hold shelby. Even family members that i wasnt on good terms with or havent talked to in years suddenly forget the past and become my friend again. As an example, just the other day i was at training table for lunch with gary and shelby. I had to take her to the bathroom to change her pants and she was fussing. I walked past the cashier counter and like 5 employees rushed out to see shelby and ask me how old she is and blah blah blah. I have to admit that while i was pregnant i was overly interested in babies. Once i was in the bathroom at Rainbow Gardens and a girl was changing her newborn baby. I wanted to see it so bad that i walked right into a wall while staring. Then i tried to exit through the closet, i was embarrassed to say the least. So i can see why people are so interested. Babies dont stay small for long and you dont really see lots of babies out and about every day. I must admit that Shelby is especially popular because she is SO STINKIN CUTE and everybody wants to see and touch her thick hair. Not only has Shelby changed me, she causes even the most tired and pissed off cashier at Walmart to smile and comment about how cute she is, instantly changing their demeanor. I dont know what it is about babies that makes people suddenly nice, its a strange phenomenon. All i know is that i like it =)

Deep thoughts of Shelby

2006-05-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today I had a rough day. I am just bummed about going back to work. Im not bummed because i dont want to work, Im bummed because i will miss shelby all day long. I actually enjoy my job and my friends at work very much, but i also enjoy my shelb too. In all honesty, i have to work. Not much of a choice, this is the life that I have chosen and I love working and using my college education for something. I will be with shelb every week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and also every night after work. I dont feel guilty about having to put her in daycare, i feel that it will be a good social experience for her. I recenly went and checked out the daycare that shelb will be going to. Its right down the street from my house and the lady that runs it is SUPER nice and very good with babies. I felt very good about it when i went to visit. SO my question is this: why do people feel the need to express thier very strong opinions about child care to me when clearly i have a different opinion? I dont try and force my opinion on them, nor would i ever make someone feel like a bad parent for having to go to work to provide for thier children. What about single parents? Are they bad parents because they have to put thier kids in daycare? I think not. I just wish that people would keep thier rude opinions to themselves and do the most sensitive thing - put themselves in my shoes. Yes, I love shelby more than anything. Yes, I value our time together. Yes, I want her to have a good and meaningful life. Yes, I want her to have a good relationship with me and her family. No, I dont think that putting Shelby in daycare is "letting someone else raise my child". Shelby will grow up to love me as her mother because that is exactly what I am, I care about her more than anything and being a working mom just means that the time I get to spend with her will mean everything to me and i will make it the best i possibly can.

proud uncle!

2006-05-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

proud grandma!

2006-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

2006-05-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

The whole Fam Damly!

2006-05-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

smile!

2006-04-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

Shelb has recently started to smile all the time, especially when you talk all sweetly to her. Her hair is also turning a bit red, you can see it in the above picture. This makes me so dang happy!!! Although I endured a lot of teasing when i was young, it was worth having a color of hair that is not very common. Shelb's hair is a darker red, we will see what it does in the next couple months of her life. Shelb wanted me to tell everyone that she loves you all and is so happy that people still come to visit her. She is growing up so fast, I cant believe she is 7 weeks old! I will be going back to work on the 8th of May, this is a major bummer for me as i have enjoyed the time off immensely. I will also miss shelb but i guess absence makes the heart grow fonder!! More pictures to come!

yo yo yo

2006-04-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sup! This is Shelby the homie, she was trying out a new look the other day and we thought she looked pretty good! Just to update everyone, Shelby is chillin in da hood wit her coo self. Today Shelby spent the day at Grandma's house in Huntsville. According to Grandma, she slept most of the day, which totally screws me over because she will more than likely be up all night now. When my mom told me this, i wondered why shelby doesnt ever sleep all day when i am home with her. Then i came to the conclusion that its because i am so entertaining that she doesnt want to miss anything so she stays awake all day long. Oh, and there has been an addition to the family: Grandma Sue and Grandpa Joe were blessed with two bunnies for Easter. They are named Beast and Sprinkles and are living in the chicken coop in the yard. We would like to extend a warm welcome to them and invite you to visit them whenever you want. peace out yo.

Im a month old!!

2006-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

squeeky cleen

2006-04-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

bath time!!

2006-04-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

A little less conversation, a little more action

2006-04-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

In the words of the famous Elvis, "a little less conversation, a little more action. All this aggravation aint satisfactionin' me." I played this song for Shelby a few times the other night in an attempt to get the bean to go to sleep and low and behold IT WORKED!! Lately Shelby has been schooled in the music of U2, Rascal Flatts, Cold Play, Collective Soul, B 52's, Moulin Rouge, Green Day and Michael Jackson. Shelby has also traveled to such places as Training Table, Chili's, Elvera's Hair Salon, a foreign country called Huntsville and to the parking lot of Walmart and Albertson's. Shelby is currently learning the moon walk, the hustle and the macarena. After some long and vigorous IQ testing it has been found that Shelby's IQ is higher than both of her parents and is borderline genius. Shelby's favorite animal is the tree frog, which she does impressions of by suddenly throwing her arms out and flaring her fingers open. Just today Shelby told me that I am the coolest mom she could ever wish for...okay i made that one up but she gives me non verbal cues that this is the truth. Shelby currently enjoys baths, eating and getting her pants changed. After hours of studying Shelby's face I have come to the conclusion that she looks a little elf-ish with eyes from her daddy and a cute mouth and chin from her cool mommy. Shelby recieved 4 college acceptance letters yesterday and we are looking into sending her to either Harvard or Yale - a very tough choice as you might imagine. She has also been asked to pose for the July cover of Parent's magazine. Man she is busy, but she will continue to type this post for me every week =). What a good bean.

2006-03-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Set in my ways?

2006-03-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

So the burning question lately has been: Am i set in my ways? And the answer is becoming more and more clear to me: YES! After almost 6 years of marriage, 4 years of college and like 8 different jobs I have found that i have never really had any time to be at home and relax or do anything for that matter. I have been focused on one thing: ME. The transition to motherhood has been a very hard one for me, much harder than i had anticipated. And although it has only been 3 weeks since my life has taken a huge turn for change I feel like a different person already. Shelby has forced me to think of something besides myself for the first time in a long time, and i have to admit that i am enjoying the sleepless nights and baby consumed days. I actually have become very engrossed with this child. Just last night I went to the General Young Women's Broadcast with my sister and my mom. I cried after being there for 5 minutes because I missed my baby shelb. If you think about it, I have been with her for about 11 months now, never alone. As I sat and cried I thought to myself how much i was going to struggle when i go back to work in 6 weeks. It will be very hard for me but i am going to enjoy the time i have left with her and make the most of it. Learning to take care of a baby is like learning a new job. It consumes your every thought and feels like something you will never catch on to, until you figure out that you can do it your way and it will still work. Honestly, i still have no clue what i am doing but i act like i do =). I am just glad that i have the support of my family and my friends because without them, i would definitly be lost. More to come....

2006-03-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

2006-03-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

shelby, gary, me and Dr Jiriko

2006-03-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

more pics

2006-03-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

SHE'S HERE!!

2006-03-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Shelby Lyn is finally here! She was born on March 7, 2006 at 4:30 in the morning. She was 20 inches long and 6 lbs 11 oz. I was in labor from 6:30 pm on the 6th until 4:30 the next morning. It was a very wonderful experience, we had to use the vaccum extractor to get her out because she was stuck on my pelvic bone so she has a little lump on her head that will take a few months to go away. Since we brought her home she has been keeping me up all night long and she just sits there awake until I try and lay her down and then she cries. Lately she has been doing some really funny facial expressions that are similar to her daddy's scuz look. She also smiles when she is tooting =). I cant believe that it has been 2 weeks since she was born, it has flown by and I love being with her all day long. I do miss my friends at work but its nice to have a break for awhile (even if it is a short while). The funniest thing that shelby does is pee whenever you take off her diaper to change it. She usually waits until you are looking at the box of wipes or reaching for her clothes to pee all over the changing table. She has a cute little face and of course i think that she is the cutest baby ever! I wont lie, taking care of a baby is not easy and it is very time consuming. It is hard to get up in the middle of the night, especially when i am used to sleeping for like 12 hours (like i did when i was pregnant). Its also very hard to have an added responsibility after being so stuck in my ways for almost 6 years, its definitly a challenge but i am working hard to do my best. The dogs are having sort of a hard time getting used to her, they bark when she cries and Kobe J gets very anxious whenever we have her downstairs. Hopefully he gets used to her sometime soon. Well, i am attaching more pictures since i am sure that is what everyone wants to see, make sure to comment if you would like and remember to leave your name so i know who its from!! PEECE!

Nesting...Or not

2006-02-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

What is the definition of "nesting"? I am not really sure but I am thinking that i am currently doing this "nesting" thing. According to my pregnancy book (which has been my bible for the past 9 months), nesting happens a few weeks or days before the kid will be born. It involves a sudden spurt of energy, getting ready for the baby to come by cleaning, acting like youre cleaning, getting things situated at work, acting like you are getting things situated at work, making cookies in the middle of the night, packing your hospital bag and rushing to the store to buy things you dont have yet (you dont want that baby coming home naked!). In the photo attached to this blog entry I am showing some serious enthusiasm and looking like i could pass out all at the same time. This is what nesting feels like. The reason that i think i am doing this "nesting" thing is because just 2 days ago my sis was cleaning the kitchen and ran out of paper towels. WEll the paper towels are stored in the garage on a shelf that is a level below the kitchen. It requires walking, climbing stairs and carrying something if you need to get some more paper towels. So out of the blue I volunteer to go and get some paper towels and Lyndee almost passes out on the floor. Not only did I volunteer to do this but i actually DID it. It has been approximately 9 months since I have even moved a finger, let alone trucked to the garage for something. Then on Sunday I decided that i wanted to make some cookies. I mixed them up, baked a batch and then baked another batch the next morning. WHAT THE?? I havent made cookies or really anything that required physical movement for...uh...probably like 2 years! Not only am I doing these strange and totally opposite-of-my-actual-personality things but I have excess energy to do them. Just last night I tried to run down the hall for no apparent reason. This scared Lyndee pretty bad because the only time she sees me move a little faster than usual is when i sneeze and pee my pants, thus causing me to walk faster to the bathroom. I just needed a drink of water and saw no point on doing it slowly - i was thirsty dang it. Another thing that i have been doing (that hasnt really gotten anything accomplished) is that i make lists for everything. I have a list of names of people to call when the baby is born, a list of claims that i need to make determinations on, a list of other claims that need exams, a list of ALL my claims and thier current status, a list of miscellaneous phone numbers that have called me lately, a list of baby stuff that we still need, a list of things to lock up when i take maternity leave from work, a list of things to take home, a list of things to pack in my hospital bag, and on and on and on. These lists are overtaking my life! Not only are there like 50 of them but I know that I wont actually do anything with 99% of them, they just make me feel like i am getting something done. I believe that the term "nesting" refers to what birds do before thier eggs hatch. They fly around and grab crap to add to thier nests and cant sit still because there is too much to get done. The egg just chills in the nest while the momma bird becomes a spaz and "gets ready" for the baby bird to come crackin out. Not that i like to be compared to a bird but if acting like a psycho and running around the house when you feel like puking and could topple forward at anytime is considered "nesting", i am guilty as charged!

The more i think about it the more scared i get!

2006-02-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

I posted this picture because it is reflective of the way I am currently feeling. Can you see the "fake" look of happiness on my face and the "hand under chin" pose of so-called confidence? I find that it is indicative of everything currently enveloping my mind. The picture also shows my brother, Blair, who seems to be saying, "would you look at her, she is totally faking it!". And the other girl in the picture is my sister Lyndee who just generally seems to not know what is going on and smiles at any sign of a camera. The reason for my strange mood has very complicated underlying reasons. First of all, I have been pregnant now for, hmm, EVER! 9 months and counting! Needless to say, i am really ready to not be pregnant anymore and feel as if i took my physical freedom for granted when i wasnt pregnant. Its amazing that the small act of putting on my socks or hurling my legs out of bed is now such a pain in the butt. I also still think that i can fit between such areas as gas station pumps and my car without taking a slab of salt off the car with me. I find myself running into the TV, the dresser, Gary, the door frame and other stationary objects in an attempt to avoid my shoes on the floor or a water bottle that i so conveniently dropped in that location 3 days ago and havent picked up yet. I also cant help but wonder what the heck "labor" feels like. I have pains and aches and occasional contractions but when i am actually in labor am i going to just sit there and be stubborn about it? I guess i am having issues because this is clearly something that i have no control over. The baby is in charge...a scary thought for me. I have also been reading lots of books about the whole labor and delivery process and have come to the conclusion that NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN THE WAY I WANT IT TO! Not only will there be pain, there will be PAIN! Today i have finally admitted that i am a wussy. I could be tough when getting my blood drawn or jamming my finger back into place but the thought of labor just gets me all worked up. I could potentially be pregnant for another entire month, that thought is terrible yet comforting at the same time. Hopefully though, when its all over i will say "that wasnt as bad as i thought" but clearly things dont happen the way i want them to ;)

2006-02-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Deep Thoughts...

2006-02-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Deep Thought #1: Today i was sitting in my office at work looking around at various things like my stapler and my large collection of Pilot medium black pens. My attention turned to my microwave which has pictures on the buttons to indicate what cooks what. The vegetable button just happens to have a tomato on it. I sat there pondering this for a moment. Who would seriously put a whole tomato in the microwave and push that button? So i called Gary up to ask him if you can cook a whole tomato in the microwave and he said, "Im pretty sure that a tomato would just blow up!". EXACTLY my thoughts. But how cool would it be to see a tomato blow up in the microwave? I wish i would have thought of this when i was like 8 years old because 1) my mom would more than likely have to clean it up and 2) i didnt have a college degree when i was 8, thus my knowledge base was not so broad that i would be considered an idiot for performing such an act. If i were to blow up a tomato in my microwave I would simply grab a bag of tostitos and have me some salsa!
Deep Thought #2: Why does everything have to be white? I was also noticing today that all of the paperwork and stuff I do at work is on white paper. Who decided that the standard color of paper is "white"? Dont you think that it would improve your overall mood and morale if it were printed on, say, pink or pale yellow? Or you could do your work based on your mood. If i was feeling especially pissed off I would print everything on black or gray paper. If I was feeling like saving a tree or a whale or something I would print everything on green. If BYU was playing that day I would print everything on, hello, BLUE! I feel that paper color would definitly improve my quality of life ;)

10 Items or LESS!!

2006-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

OK! So i was at walmart on Saturday trying to buy a DVD and some pepcid complete. 2 Items is all i had. So i am of course looking for the shortest line, which at walmart is pretty much a lost cause. Gary and I went to the 10 items or less line and looked at the people in line before us. They had like 85 items in thier carts and were in the 10 items or less line because its the only lane that sells smokes. WHAT CRAP! So we proceeded to wait like an hour for all these people to put thier 85 items on the small table belt (it is clearly only big enough for 10). The longer i stood there the madder i got. First off i was mad at the people who obviously could care less that the 3 people behind them had under 10 items and could have been out of the chaotic walmart in minutes, not hours, had they obeyed the sign. Then i started to get mad at the check out girl who didnt have the balls to tell them they could only have 10 items. Then i got mad at Walmart for the piss poor set up they have where the only lane that sells cigarettes is the freakin 10 ITEMS OR LESS lane! Do they think that people who smoke only buy 10 items or less when they go to walmart? I mean, cigs are expensive but obviously they need other necessities like TP and hotdogs. So as the minutes passed my blood pressure went up and my face turned red. I found myself counting the items in people's carts and wondering if i would make it out of walmart alive. Gary noticed i was getting a little out of control and told me to go and sit on the bench by the register which was unoccupied. I walked over to the bench, still counting the dang items in people's carts and feeling increasingly worse anxiety. This whole experience reminds me of other things i hate about walmart. For example: If a fat and pissed off pregnant girl is walking down the isle and you are hogging the whole thing with your cart then MOVE THE F@#$ out of the way! You seriously think i can fit between your cart and the millions of salsa bottles? HeLLO! Another example is the whole cart problem. The cart returns in the parking lot are in the middle of the lanes, there are none at the front of the parking lot at all. This set up brings out the laziness in people. I cant even tell you how many times i have come out of wal mart to find my bright yellow car SURROUNDED by 30+ carts. Once i was walking up to my car and a guy walked up behind me and pushed his cart directly behind my trunk, then walked away. AGAIN - how stupid are people? Or should i ask, WHAT IS THE AVERAGE IQ OF PEOPLE THAT SHOP AT WALMART?! I am clearly not in the condition to move all 30 carts from around my car just because people suck. If i were driving a beater i would just drive through them. Gary's number one complaint at walmart is when people drive down the parking lanes the wrong direction. If this happens upon our arrival to walmart I know that the rest of the trip is going to blow. If the arrow is pointing at you, DONT DRIVE DOWN THE ROW! There is only room for one car and when you look at me like its my fault you cant fit by i want to throw you the one finger salute and take a bat to your windshield. Walmart is supposed to be convenient and less stressful because they have everything you need in one trip, my opinion is that Walmart forces people to either slit their wrists or (sooner than later) admit themselves to the psych ward.

2006-01-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

This is me and Gary, I will leave a post later! I look like a total fattie with the shelb hanging out in my belly ;)

whats in a Nick Name??

2006-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and tired. I think i got maybe 2 hours of good sleep last night no thanks to the shelby kicking me and wiggling around for most of the night. I can tell that she is getting a bit squished in there and is attempting to make some room for her ever growing self. Its the strangest feeling in the world to have a living thing moving around in your stomach and not know what it looks like or which way it is facing. Gary finally got to feel her kicking last night for the first time! I think he was excited about it but he doesnt show much emotion. So any way, some people might think that what i just wrote about was boring so I will move on. Last night i got in trouble for not typing anything in my blog about my sister Lyndee who just happens to live at my house. As i was starting to create this blog i found myself mad at the kid because she has like 4 cool nicknames and i have...NONE. She goes by the names: Cheese, Pansy, Dizzle and Quail. I am not going to explain all of those but they have significant meaning. I feel like a lost soul since i have no nickname, my family calls me plain old "jack" and it just doesnt suffice. I have already made nicknames for the unborn child in my tummy such as: the shelb, shelbster, bean and beeb. I have to say that I am glad that i dont have a totally stupid nickname like "buddy" or "sweet toots". I guess i shouldnt complain about not having a nick name, maybe i am having an identity crisis, babies make your brain do strange things you know ;) I do have nicknames for all of my dogs (i will post thier pic soon). My white doggie is "Kobe J Buggie", black dog is "Yogi J Bearsy", Springer spaniel is "Harley J McDavidson" and the shitzu is "Peach Squog Hodgie". I have also assigned names to various people at work and refer to them as thier nick name so that they dont know i am talking about them. My only question is: Are they making up names for me too? and what are they? I'd be interested to know, or on second thought maybe not ;)

Welcome one and all!

2006-01-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Why hello there! I am new to the whole blogging thing but my brother is Lifeonapl8 so i have a little help. I suppose that i am starting to blog in an attempt to release some pent up feelings and make a few people laugh along the way. I am expecting a baby in March and so thought it would be interesting to see how pissed off i get in the next 6 weeks about how uncomfortable and sucky being pregnant really is. I will try to avoid obscenities but i make no promises. I also have a very stressful job and may at times refer to the drama that takes place in my office repeatedly throughout the day. So to begin my journey into blog land i tell you this: dont ever make a pregnant girl mad, you may 1) die 2) want to die 3) start sucking your thumb again like you did when you were 1 because i scare you so bad!

Well, this is a short post but i will return. Today is just a small piece of the puzzle that i call life, or whatever. ;)