Armstrong Alley

Resolutions

2010-01-04T00:25:00.000-08:00

Well Happy New Year to everyone. I have been a horrible blogger lately and have no excuse, but one of my resoultions will be to update more often.Facebook has gotten all my updates lately, but I know my Blog is something that I will be able to look back on someday while the facebook stuff I probably won't.
So I hope to put some new posts up soon since I haven't posted anything for Cam's 10th birthday, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Our New Year was good we stayed in and played our new Wii and just had a low key night- toasted at midnight and then fell asleep.
I am looking forward to a new year and still can't beleive how fast they go by now that I am older. I have some resolutions as usual(Besides blogging more). My typical resolution is to exercise and eat better. But my most important resolution is to try to establish a more cohesive family. It seems so hard to get everyone on a schedule and especially on nights I work things don't always happen( No offense to Corby). My kids still try to stay up past their bedtime and try not to sleep in their room. I could go on- but the bottom line is that I feel we will all benefit from a set routine, so I will keep everyone updated on how this progresses. Here's to a great 2010!!

Brody update

2009-08-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Brody just had his 15mos checkup and currently weighs 30 lbs and is 35 inches tall, so he is continuing his off the chart growing. He is actually slimmer now that he started walking finally last month, he is doing so good at walking and even running, we are still working on the shoe part , but it's a slow process.We are enjoying having more alone time now that the siblings are in school. I am amazed everyday at how much he is learning, we are really able to communicate more now. The bad thing is that he is a screamer, especially out in public. When he wants something and doesn't get it it is a full on scream and it is so embarrassing ( I am talking ear piercing type where everyone stares).Needless to say we are limiting our outings at this time and when we do go I try to bring plenty of snacks and drinks and pray he doesn't get bored- sad but true. Brody loves to read books now and loves sing and dance, which I keep meaning to try to get on video. The best things are he now gives kisses when asked and still loves to cuddle!

School's In

2009-08-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

"Ava at meet the teacher night"

It has been quite a while since I blogged so I will slowly try to catch up on my posts. The Kids started school about 3 weeks ago. Ava is in all day kinder and has had a great transition and only just yesterday I heard her first complaint- and I think it was only because she is tired. She has already made new little friends and wants to buy school lunch(Yuck- but one less lunch to make). We love her teacher and she already tells me she enjoys Ava.
Cameron is a 4th grader and is returning to his studious ways already- sometimes I wonder where he gets it? He is getting so tall and I am sure it will only be another year or so before he is as tall as me- unbeleivable. Here's to a great school year!!!

School's Out

2009-06-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Another school year is over. Cameron will be heading to the 4th grade after a very successful year in 3rd grade. Cameron was on the honor roll all 4 quarters and was tested for gifted the 2nd year in a row. He was bummed when he didn't qualify for gifted after the testing, but we told him it just would mean more work for him. (Even though he is a good student everyday we had to fight with him to work on his homework- go figure.)
Ava finished pre-k and did great. We are looking forward to Kindergarten and are praying we get our favorite Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Wright. Ava will be in all day kinder ,but we think she is ready and I know I am ready to have more free time.
Ava with her best friend Samantha

Brody's First Birthday

2009-06-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

This post is a little lite in coming, but better late than never. May 9th my baby turned one! The last year has flown by and I can't beleive how big this guy is getting.
He had a great party with all the family and enjoyed the presents and especially the cake. At his one year check-up he was weighing 28 lbs and was 32 inches tall. Needless to say he is not going without. He is only saying a few words and is the first of my 3 that hasn't walked by his first birthday. He still today is not walking. I know he could because he is standing on his own, but I don't think he wants to. He gets around very well crawling and is tall enough to stand and open the doors. He also has a temper, he can go from smiling to screaming in seconds. But we can't stay upset too long because he is s stinkin cute.

Brody's getting to old?

2009-04-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post some updated pics of my baby, who is looking more like a litte boy. I can't beleive he will be one next month. Time goes by way too fast! He crawls with lightnig speed and he's pulling himself up with the help of furniture so I'm sure will be walking soon enough.

Minors Opening Day

2009-03-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Cameron's very first little league game . He is playing for the Phillies. They won their first game 8-7 in a nail biter!(As exciting as 9 year olds play can be). The exciting thing was Cameron got up to bat with 2 outs and bases loaded- I was so nervous. But he came through with a single and batted in 2 runs. I never have been so excited for him.It was a great experience and we are hoping he will continue to improve and learn to love the game and play to his best ability. I'm sure he must have inherited some skills from Corby. Here are some picks from the big day.

Cam in the batter's box

Being Congratulated by the Coach

Christmas Pics

2009-02-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

So since I have been so busy and neglected to post anything about christmas I thought I would just post some random pictures. We had a great Christmas and New year and don't want it to go unnoticed.

All 7 of my parents grandkids. Chad 14, Shane 11, Cameron 9, Gracen 7, Ava 4, Brody 7 mos, and Ryan 5 mos. What a good looking brood.
Brody's first time opening gifts- He enjoyed the paper more.

Christmas morning- Bright and early.

Brody eating a tag. .
Ava and Gracen practicing there "skills" with singstar. But you know I schooled them both!

9 Months Stats

2009-02-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Brody had his 9 month check-up yesterday and the stats are in : Weight= 26 lbs height= 31 1/4 in.. He continues his trend of being > 95% in size. He is crawling all over the place and trying to say words. He is still happy and laid back thank goodness. His eyes are still very blue- so we are thinking they should stay that way and he suddenly has tons of hair.the last 9 months have flown by and my baby is getting so big. He brings so much joy to all of us with his bright smile and I am thanful everyday that he came into our lives.

Fun on the slide.

Look at that Smile

In this one it looks like he is beating Ava up.

It's The Big "5" for AVA

2009-02-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

Five Years ago today my precious little baby girl was born.I remember that morning very well at Banner Desert when I first laid my eyes on her.
Those five years have seemed to fly by. Today she is a spunky, stubborn, beautiful Diva. And everyday I still find more and more I love about her.Like how she loves to sing along in the car to songs with me, has the most endearing grin, can hold her own against her 9 year old brother and is becoming quite the learner.I always new I wanted a daughter because of the wonderful relationship I have with my mom and I look forward to seeing what kind a person she will grow into.Plus the clothes I get to buy!!!!

Here she is tonight at Applebee's Hamming it up!

Happy 30 th ERIN!!

2008-12-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

A big shout out to Erin on her birthday. So glad you finally hit 30, so I don't feel so old. You are such a wonderful person and great friend to me and many others. Thanks for always listening to me rant and rave about whatever I want. So on your birthday I thank you for just being yourself and letting me be your friend. Because of you I Blog, love twilight, am on facebook and aspire to be a soccer/ dance mom ( or something close to that). XOXO

I am the mother of a 9 yr old!

2008-11-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my baby's birthday! My first baby that is and the one that taught me the meaning of a mother's love. I can't believe it has been 9 years and then again that day seems so long ago. I sometimes still look at my kids and marvel that they are mine. Does anyone else do that? I can't believe sometimes that three kids depend on me hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly for just about everything. How lucky am I do be given that responsibility. My Cameron is still a mommas boy in private and loves to cuddle when given the chance. He is handsome and polite and smart ( Can I actually take credit for any of that). I hope that I can remember more often that I was given a gift when I became a mother and try to never take that for granted.

When I have more time I will put a post up dedicated to Cameron and his birthday, unfortunately he was sick on his birthday so we had to cancel the party. And I will try not to be so philosophical next time , I don't want to freak you all out and make you think I am not always the sarcastic , witty brat that you are all used to.

Twilight

2008-11-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

So of course me and the girls ventured out for the midnight showing of twilight. With all the hype before the movie I should of realized it would not live up to the actual book. For one there is not enough time to put it all in there, I wish they had shown more of the development of the love story. In the movie it doesn't seem as probable as the book. I do admit that their Edward did grow on me eventually. Don't get me wrong the movie was not horrible, but I do think I need to see it again. I am also looking forward to the sequels and am now tempted to reread the book so I can relive the movie in the long version in my head. If you just see the movie and don't read the book you really miss out.

Halloween

2008-11-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

So this week at Cam and Ava's school they had red ribbon week , so they got to wear red on Mon, crazy feet on Tues. , PJ day on Wed., Hawaiian day on Thurs. and got to wear costumes on Fri. Ava only goes MWF so she dressed on those days and Cameron only chose to participate on certain days. I also got to go help out in Ava's class on Friday. You may notice that she has a ballerina costume on in her class, but Sleeping beauty for trick or treating, that's because we had issues with getting her costume on time after they sent the wrong one so we received it at about 4 P.M. on friday. Brody was a lion and was the cutest thing ever.

We have a sitter and an honor student!

2008-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have added a post, so I am going to try to catch up on some stuff today. First off Brody started sitting up about 2 weeks ago. He is getting so big and is such a happy boy that he brings smiles to everyone he sees.

I also want to recognize Cameron for his awesome work at school. He was on

the principals honor roll once again and was also student of the month. We are so proud of how well he does in school and of his behavior at school. I am still wondering how to get him to behavior better at home, but I guess I shouldn't complain.

Tagged

2008-10-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

So I had Kippy to my list of friends and the first thing she does is tag me. Thanks Alot Kippy. Just kidding I still Love you. So here goes.

My Joys:

1. My kids!
2. My job ( not everyday)
3. Eating

My fears:

1. Anything bad happening to my kids.
2. Sharks
3. Confrontation

My Goals:

1. Give my kids a happy childhood.
2. Be a great nurse.
3. Being able to see more of the world.

My Current Obsession:
1. Brody (of course Cam and Ava too)
2. Heroes (new season just started)
3. Blogging ( especially blog surfing)

Facts About Me:
1. I am a procrastinator (major)
2. I hate housework.
3. I don't know everything. ( I just pretend I do)

Picture is worth 1000 words

2008-10-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday Ava showed me some of her artwork from school. She was so proud of her picture and right away I noticed something interesting about the people. There were 2 boys and 2 girls. The girls are Ava and I and the boys are either Daddy and Brody or Cameron, she couldn't decide. So I scanned the picture for everyone to see.

It is not quite easy to see, but you can definitely tell they are anatomically correct.The boys are on the left and the girls on the right.

Birthday Girl

2008-09-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

So as I am sure most of you have heard I just celebrated ( not quite the right word) my 35 th birthday. I was feeling crappy on the actual day, but still was able celebrate. On Sat the 20th Corby the kids and I went to the Radisson fort Mcdowell. We had a good time in the pool. and I was able to slip away and do a little slot machine action late at night. And no I didn't win.The next morning we ordered room service and did more swimming before heading for home. Brody had his first dip in the pool too.

Then this past Friday I was able to be treated to lunch by my friends Erin and Rachael at California Pizza Kitchen. We had a good time, thanks you guys for making me feel so special.

Update

2008-09-30T16:26:00.001-07:00

I have an update from Brody's 4 month check-up for those of you who haven't heard. He weighed 20 lbs 3 oz and was 27 inches long. Overall he is very healthy.

Four Months Later

2008-09-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

It is hard to beleive that 4 months have already gone by since Brody's birth. He has changed so much since then. When he was born I thought he looked like Cameron , but as he gets bigger and chunkier he seems to resemble Ava more. He is such a good boy and so kissable with those big cheeks.

First day of Pre-K.

2008-08-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

This morning Ava started Pre-K. I was nervous about how she would do , but it all went well. She tried to chicken out just as we were getting in the car ,but I talked her down and then put on some mood music(Jonas Brothers of course)and after belting out a couple tunes in the car and dancing around she was good to go.I walked her up to the door checked her in and after a few hugs she walked away and said "Bye Mom". What a diffrence from child #1. Anyway she had a good day and made some friends (boys of course)and is actually sad that she is only going 3 days a week.

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

So I too finally finished the book. Very good ,but I am sorry it is coming to an end. Now I can look forward to the movie though. I will definetely be up for a midnight viewing party, as I am sure I have a lot of friends that will be willing as well. Let's start the planning!!

Pudgy Baby Boy

2008-08-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here is some pics I snapped of Brody. I could not get him to smile well on film although he smiles all the time. Some pics seemed blurry after copied to photobucket, but I can't figure out why, so sorry if they are hard to see. Here is one of my favs so you can see it clearer.

Tagged

2008-08-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Erin I have been tagged . Here are the rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person know who tagged you that you've posted your answers. The only problem is I don't think there is any one left to tag. But I will post my answers anyway.

The five:

Years ago
1. I had just moved back in with my parents (at 25 years old).
2. I worked at Jcpenney!
3. I was in a long distance relationship (Corby in California).
4. I was experiencing only my second Arizona summer (still in shock).
5. I was enjoying the semi-single life for the first time ever.( Corby still in California!)

5 things on my to do list:( not necessarily in order)

1. Do Laundry.
2. Work out.
3. Read rest of Breaking Dawn!
4. Attempt to make dinner.
5. Shower?!!

5 favorite foods:
1. Coffee ( I do work nights)
2. Chocolate.
3.Cheese.
4. Strawberries (even more with chocolate).
5. Pizza (especially Barro's or Nello's).

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire.
1. Buy a beachfront home.
2. Have one more child.
3. Work for fun. HA HA HA!
4. Make sure my whole family is comfortable financially.
5. Find a charity I can be passionate about and donate money and time to it.

5 places I've lived:
1. Albany, California
2. Suisun City, California
3. Gibert, Arizona
4. Chandler, Arizona
5. Queen Creek, Arizona
Don't be jealous on how worldly I am!!

Third Grade???!!!

2008-08-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of 3rd grade for my first born. It is so crazy how fast they grow up. He did not even seem nervous at all and did not accept an offer from his dad to escort him to his classroom. He did ask about 10 times what his classroom number was though.He said his first day was good and he is lucky enough to have a couple friends in his class. Corby commented on how mellow Ava was without her brother here to argue and fight with. I am definitely looking forward to that. Next week Ava starts Pre-K and I am hoping it is not to traumatizing for either of us. I hate when they cry and grab on to you and beg you not to leave, so I am hoping that will not be the case. I'll keep you all posted.

How much fun can $2.48 buy?

2008-08-04T18:34:00.001-07:00

On our weekly shopping trip to target we headed over to the clearance aisle (my favorite). There we found a slip and slide on clearance for $2.48.Needless to say the kids had a blast and I only wish I was small enough to slip and slide myself.

COUSINS

2008-07-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 12 th we welcomed my nephew Ryan Thomas McDonald into the family. I had the pleasure of being their L&D nurse and new he was going to be big, but not this big. He weighed in at 10lbs 8 oz. Here is a picture of him and Brody even though they are 2 months apart there is only 4lbs difference. I am hoping as they grow the will become good friends since the are so close in age.

Time Flies

2008-07-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Brody is already two months old. I can't believe how quickly time goes by. He had his 2 month check up today and weighed in at a whopping 14 lbs. He is eating well I guess! Poor guy also got 5 shots. He is changing daily and is smiling all the time. Can't wait for the giggling.I am returning to work on Sunday and am gonna miss him lots. We are all going to have to go through a transition after me being off for 3 months.

New Pics

2008-06-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sis knows how to get me to
sleep
He normally loves his bath. I swear!!

Fun at auntie's pool

I'm going to cousins All-Star game and had to look the part.

I just found my thumb!

Anniversary

2008-06-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

On June 5th Corby and I just celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner sans kids. Thank to mom for babysitting. As usual we always seem to reflect on our early years together, we are talking way back when we started dating in December 1988, almost 20 years ago and of course never guessed we would end up where we are today- happily married with three kids. Of course the road here has not always been smooth, but never the less the road continues, if only we can afford to pay these gas prices and keep driving.

Baby Brody

2008-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

How can I not start off by talking about our newest addition. Brody is now 6 weeks old and all of sudden wants to be held by mommy A LOT. In fact I am holding him as I am writing this. He also is liking to feed every couple hours during the day. But he also sleeps about 4-6 hours during the night, so I should not complain. The smiles are coming more often now and he is a starer. He just looks at you and seems to be staring into your soul. He is staying awake for longer periods of time and is requiring more gadgets for entertaining. Lets see we have the pappasan, the swing , the tummy time mat and of course we have the built in brother and sister entertainers. Ava can't get enough of him which is causing us some scares. She is always picking him up and tending to him and although she means well I am afraid she may drop him one of theses times.

Can you say FOLLOWER?

2008-06-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

So here is my attempt at blogging , after seeing my best bud Erin's blog I wanted one for my family. Does that make me a follower? Oh well if it does- it is a great idea to keep people up to date on whats going on. And boy have I had a lot going on - well actually not really, so this may be boring.